# fray

> English word · Verb · IPA /fɹeɪ/ · frequency rank #20,120

## Definitions
1. To rub or wear away (something); to cause (something made of strands twisted or woven together, such as cloth or rope) to unravel through friction; also, to irritate (something) through chafing or rubbing; to chafe.
2. To rub or wear away (something); to cause (something made of strands twisted or woven together, such as cloth or rope) to unravel through friction; also, to irritate (something) through chafing or rubbing; to chafe.
3. To force or make (a path, way, etc.) through.
4. To bruise (someone or something); also, to take the virginity of (someone, usually a female person); to deflower.
5. To become unravelled or worn; to unravel.
6. To rub.
7. To rub.
8. Of a person's mental strength, nerves, temper, etc.: to become exhausted or worn out.

## Etymology
The verb is derived from Late Middle English fraien (“to beat so as to cause bruising, to bruise; to crush; to rub; to wear, wear off”), borrowed from Old French fraier, freier, freiier (modern French frayer (“to clear, open up (a path, etc.); (figuratively) to find one’s way through (something); (obsolete) to rub”)), from Latin fricāre, the present active infinitive of fricō (“to chafe; to rub”), an intensive form of friō (“to break into pieces, crumble; to rub”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (“to cut”). Sense 1.2 (“to force or make (a path, way, etc.) through”) is derived from modern French frayer: see above.
The noun is derived from the verb.

## Easily confused with
- **fy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-fy)
- **fry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-fry)
- **fro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-fro)
- **FSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-fsa)
- **FTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-fta)
- **from** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-from)
- **free** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-free)
- **Fred** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-fred)
- **fury** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-fury)
- **frog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-frog)
- **fret** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-fret)
- **Frey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-frey)
- **freak** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-freak)
- **furry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-furry)
- **friar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-friar)
- **Freya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-freya)
- **Friday** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-friday)
- **freaky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-freaky)
- **frayed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fray-vs-frayed)
- **fa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fa-vs-fray)

## Common misspellings (6)
`fary`, `ffray`, `frayy`, `frray`, `frya`, `rfay`

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