rabbi

/ˈɹæ.baɪ/

//ˈɹæ.baɪ// noun

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

"rabbi" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rabbi” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,447. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,447
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Jewish scholar or teacher of halacha (Jewish law), capable of making halachic decisions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rabbi · rabbi · English

rabbi · rank #11,447 · 5 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,447
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH purity

Nearest frequency peer: purity (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “rabbi”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “rabbi” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

rabbi vs RBI
0% similar
rabbi vs Ravi
40% similar
rabbi vs Robb
40% similar

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

Key facts for rabbi
PropertyValue
Headwordrabbi
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹæ.baɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#11,447
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rabbi”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).rabbilands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “purity” (#11,446), “Ramsey” (#11,448), “Punjab” (#11,445). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rabbi” is #11,447. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around rabbi (IPA /ˈɹæ.baɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,447 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for rabbi, with forms such as "arbbi", "rabi", and "rabib". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "RBI", "Ravi", "Robb", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English raby, from Ecclesiastical Latin rabbi, and its source Koine Greek ῥαββί (rhabbí), from (post-Tanakh) Hebrew רַבִּי (rabbi, “my master”), from רַב (rav, “master”) + ־ִי (-í, “my”). Compare late Old English rabbi. Doublet of rebbe and rela… The correct English form is rabbi, spelled R-A-B-B-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Jewish scholar or teacher of halacha (Jewish law), capable of making halachic decisions.
  2. 2
    A Jew who is the leader or is qualified to be the leader of a Jewish congregation.
  3. 3
    A senior officer who acts as a mentor.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Next, R. Moskowitz brings us to the Slonimer Rebbe, a late 20th century Hasidic rabbi, who taught that the evil of Esav was that very sense of completion, the self-perception that he had no need for growth or further transformation.
  2. "Elon Musk is spreading the kind of antisemitism that leads to massacres," reads the decree, which was signed by 164 "rabbis, leaders of Jewish organizations, artists, activists, and academics." "And advertisers are funding the platform that allows him to spread his ideology to hundreds of millions [of] people."

Etymology

From Middle English raby, from Ecclesiastical Latin rabbi, and its source Koine Greek ῥαββί (rhabbí), from (post-Tanakh) Hebrew רַבִּי (rabbi, “my master”), from רַב (rav, “master”) + ־ִי (-í, “my”). Compare late Old English rabbi. Doublet of rebbe and related to rav.

This word in other languages

rabino(Español)rabbin(Français)Rabbiner(Deutsch)rabino(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arbbi
  • rabi
  • rabib
  • rbabi
  • rrabbi

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rabbi - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

arbbi2rabi1rabib2rbabi2rrabbi1
Edit distance from "rabbi"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "rabbi"?
"rabbi" is spelled R-A-B-B-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹæ.baɪ/.
What does "rabbi" mean?
As a noun, "rabbi" means: A Jewish scholar or teacher of halacha (Jewish law), capable of making halachic decisions.
What words are commonly confused with "rabbi"?
"rabbi" is commonly confused with "RBI", "Ravi", "Robb". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rabbi"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rabbi" is /ˈɹæ.baɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "rabbi"?
From Middle English raby, from Ecclesiastical Latin rabbi, and its source Koine Greek ῥαββί (rhabbí), from (post-Tanakh) Hebrew רַבִּי (rabbi, “my master”), from רַב (rav, “master”) + ־ִי (-í, “my”). Compare late Old English rabbi. Doublet of rebb... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scoop#11,455scrub#11,457shale#11,460monte#11,423

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

taco5 variantsiPod5 variantsgrim5 variantsErik5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list