raw

[rɔ]

/[rɔ]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“raw” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #18,670) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#18,670
frequency rank, German
2,984
“R” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - roh, ungekocht

Corpus desk

Index DE-raw · raw · German

raw · rank #18,670 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,670
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,984
  • PHOTO-FINISH rationale

Nearest frequency peer: rationale (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “raw”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “raw” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

raw vs re
33% similar
raw vs Rb
0% similar
raw vs Rn
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for raw
PropertyValue
Headwordraw
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[rɔ]
Letters3
Frequency rank#18,670
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “raw” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). raw lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for raw is neighbouring look-alikes ("re", "Rb", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced [rɔ]. Frequency #18,670 among 2,984 “R” headwords. 5 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

raw doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "re", "Rb", "Rn", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is raw, spelled R-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    roh, ungekocht
  2. 2
    elementar, unbearbeitet
  3. 3
    unerfahren
  4. 4
    offen, wund
  5. 5
    rau, kalt, stürmisch

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how raw appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Some people eat raw fish.

This word in other languages

cru(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "raw"?
"raw" is spelled R-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is [rɔ].
What does "raw" mean?
As an adjective, "raw" means: roh, ungekocht
What words are commonly confused with "raw"?
"raw" is commonly confused with "re", "Rb", "Rn". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "raw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "raw" is [rɔ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "raw" come from?
"raw" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "raw", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

qui#18,668Ruh#18,679sta#18,707MHz#18,630

What to do next

You've looked up "raw". Here's where to go from here.

  • "raw" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "re". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #18,670 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list