# ripe vs ripen

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### ripe
*adjective · IPA /ɹaɪp/ · frequency rank #11,783*
Of a fruit, vegetable, seed, etc., ready for reaping or gathering; having attained perfection; mature.

### ripen
*verb · IPA /ˈɹaɪpən/ · frequency rank #45,055*
to grow ripe; to become mature (said of grain, fruit, flowers etc.)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ripe-vs-ripen