Ranks

A rank is a position within a hierarchical system that denotes relative authority, responsibility, or status. Ranks create an ordering among members or elements, establishing a chain of command or a basis for eligibility and privilege. The concept appears in military and civil service, corporations, and social groups, as well as in non-human domains such as biology and information systems.

In military and law enforcement, ranks are formal levels that determine authority, duties, pay scales, and access to information. They are typically indicated by insignia, badges, stripes, or chevrons, and progression usually requires time in service, training, and performance evaluation.

Nomenclature varies by culture and organization. Ranks are usually arranged in ascending order with distinct names, for example private, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major, colonel, and general. Promotion to a higher rank implies greater responsibility and often different privileges. In civilian workplaces, equivalent concepts include job levels, grades, or bands, which may be governed by competency frameworks rather than a fixed sequence.

Other uses of the term include biological taxonomic ranks—kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species—where rank denotes a level of relatedness. In information systems, ranks can describe the relative position of items in search results or recommendation lists. Across contexts, "rank" commonly conveys order, status, and the authority to lead or oversee others.