Meaning & use
rand
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Meanings
nouncountable
The main unit of money in South Africa, made up of 100 cents.
Grammar: The plural is usually rand, not rands, especially in formal or financial contexts: 50 rand, not 50 rands.
Patterns
- in rand
- pay in rand
- cost X rand
The taxi fare from the airport to the city center is about 200 rand.
She exchanged her dollars for rand at the bank before her trip to Cape Town.
The company reported a profit of 5 million rand for the year.
nouncountableinformal
A rand is also used informally to refer to a rand coin or banknote.
Grammar: When talking about physical money, the plural rands can sometimes be heard, but rand is still preferred.
Patterns
- a 10-rand coin
- a handful of rands
He found a crumpled 20-rand note in his jacket pocket.
The parking meter only accepts 5-rand coins.
Word forms
| plural | rand |
|---|---|
| plural (informal) | rands |
Common combinations
- in rand
- The price is listed in rand, not dollars.
- pay in rand
- You can pay in rand at most shops in Johannesburg.
- the rand weakened
- The rand weakened against the dollar after the election.
- a million rand
- The house sold for three million rand.
- rand coin
- She dropped a rand coin into the beggar's cup.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ZAR
- ZAR is the official currency code for the rand, used in banking and finance, not in everyday speech.
Commonly confused: rand or randy?
rand vs randy
Randy is an adjective meaning sexually excited, completely different from the currency.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'rand' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Rand is the currency; 'change dollars into rand' is correct. Option 2 confuses the word with a food. Option 3 uses 'rands', which is informal and less standard. Option 4 is nonsense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.