ray

Name: ray, German Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[ɹeɪ]

/[ɹeɪ]/ noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“ray” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #4,925 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,925
frequency rank, German: 3
letters: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Strahl, der von einer Energiequelle ausgeht

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ray vs re

33% similar

ray vs Rb

0% similar

ray vs Rn

0% similar

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

Key facts for ray
Property	Value
Headword	ray
Language	German
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	[ɹeɪ]
Letters	3
Frequency rank	#4,925
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ray” 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). ray lands here:

#4,925

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for ray is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɹeɪ]. Corpus data places it at rank #4,925 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

ray doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. 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.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is ray, spelled R-A-Y.

Definition

1
Strahl, der von einer Energiequelle ausgeht
2
Teil einer Linie, der in die eine Richtung endlich ist, aber in die andere Richtung unendlich

Synonyms

half-line

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ray"?

"ray" is spelled R-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is [ɹeɪ].

What does "ray" mean?

As a noun, "ray" means: Strahl, der von einer Energiequelle ausgeht

What words are commonly confused with "ray"?

"ray" 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 "ray"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ray" is [ɹeɪ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "ray" come from?

"ray" 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.

Using “ray”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct German spelling is R-A-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as [ɹeɪ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “re” - see the side-by-side comparison. ray vs re
Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

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.