race

/ɹeɪs/

//ɹeɪs// noun

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

"race" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“race” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #882. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#882
frequency rank, English
21,470
“R” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective.

Corpus desk

Index EN-race · race · English

race · rank #882 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #882
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 21,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH pick

Nearest frequency peer: pick (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “race”

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

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

race vs re
50% similar
race vs RC
0% similar
race vs ran
50% similar

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

Key facts for race
PropertyValue
Headwordrace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹeɪs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#882
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “race” sits in English 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). race lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around race (IPA /ɹeɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #882 among 21,470 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for race, with forms such as "arce", "racce", and "raec". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "re", "RC", "ran", 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 race, partially from Old English rǣs (“a race, swift or violent running, rush, onset”), from Proto-West Germanic *rās; and partially from Old Norse rás (“a running, race”); both from Proto-Germanic *rēsō (“a course”), from Proto-Indo-Eur… The correct English form is race, spelled R-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective.
  2. 2
    Swift progress; rapid motion; an instance of moving or driving at high speed.
  3. 3
    A race condition; a bug or problem that occurs when two or more components attempt to use the same resource at the same time.
  4. 4
    A sequence of events; a progressive movement toward a goal.
  5. 5
    A fast-moving current of water.
  6. 6
    A water channel, especially one built to lead water to or from a point where it is utilised, such as that which powers a millwheel.
  7. 7
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  8. 8
    A guide or channel that a component of a machine moves along:
  9. 9
    A guide or channel that a component of a machine moves along:
  10. 10
    A keno gambling session.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Several horses ran in a horse race: the first one to reach the finishing post won.
  2. The race to cure cancer

Etymology

From Middle English race, partially from Old English rǣs (“a race, swift or violent running, rush, onset”), from Proto-West Germanic *rās; and partially from Old Norse rás (“a running, race”); both from Proto-Germanic *rēsō (“a course”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁s- (“to flow, rush”). Cognate with Middle Low German râs ("a strong current"; whence German Low German Raas (“mad rush, rage, fury”)), Dutch ras (“a strong whirling current”), Danish ræs, Norwegian and Swedish ras, Norwegian rås.

This word in other languages

carrera(Español)course(Français)Rennen(Deutsch)corrida(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arce
  • racce
  • raec
  • rcae
  • rrace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of race - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

arce2racce1raec2rcae2rrace1
Edit distance from "race"

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.

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "race"?
"race" is spelled R-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹeɪs/.
What does "race" mean?
As a noun, "race" means: A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective.
What words are commonly confused with "race"?
"race" is commonly confused with "re", "RC", "ran". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "race"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "race" is /ɹeɪs/. 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 "race"?
From Middle English race, partially from Old English rǣs (“a race, swift or violent running, rush, onset”), from Proto-West Germanic *rās; and partially from Old Norse rás (“a running, race”); both from Proto-Germanic *rēsō (“a course”), from Prot... 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 "race", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pick#881seem#883lose#879sign#885

Similar misspelling depth

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

poor5 variantsones5 variantssafe5 variantshuge5 variants
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