Ranking

How to spell ranking

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce ranking

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ranking mean?

1. nounA position within an ordered list of people or things graded by quality, performance, or importance.
2. adjectiveHaving the highest position or seniority within a group, especially in military or political contexts.

Ranking in a sentence

• noun

  The university climbed several places in this year's global ranking.

• adjective

  The ranking officer took command once the captain was injured.

• noun

  Her world ranking improved after she won the tournament.

• adjective

  As the ranking member of the committee, she opened the hearing.

Where does ranking come from?

Language of origin: French

The base word 'rank' came into English in the early 1500s from the Old French 'ranc' or 'renc', meaning a row or a line, especially a line of soldiers drawn up for battle. That French word was itself rooted in a Germanic source related to the old word for a ring or a circle, the idea being people or things arranged in an orderly line. From the literal sense of a military row, English developed the figurative sense of a grade or position within an ordered hierarchy. The form 'ranking' adds the familiar '-ing' suffix, producing both a noun for an ordered position and an adjective meaning highest in grade, the latter especially common in American usage as in 'the ranking officer'. Because the spelling is phonetic and regular, the only thing to remember is the 'nk' cluster followed by the silent-feeling but pronounced '-ing'.

How the word is built

• rank (a row, line, or grade)
• -ing (forming a noun or adjective)