raffle

/ˈɹæfl̩/

//ˈɹæfl̩// noun

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

"raffle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“raffle” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,782. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,782
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A drawing, often held as a fundraiser, in which tickets or chances are sold to win a prize.

Corpus desk

Index EN-raffle · raffle · English

raffle · rank #22,782 · 7 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,782
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH radiology

Nearest frequency peer: radiology (-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 “raffle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “raffle” 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).

raffle vs rifle
67% similar
raffle vs rattle
67% similar
raffle vs Randle
50% similar

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

Key facts for raffle
PropertyValue
Headwordraffle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹæfl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,782
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “raffle”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).rafflelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “radiology” (#22,781), “ragged” (#22,783), “purified” (#22,780). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “raffle” is #22,782. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around raffle (IPA /ˈɹæfl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,782 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for raffle, with forms such as "arffle", "raffel", and "rafflle". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "rifle", "rattle", "Randle", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rafle, from Old French rafle, raffle (“dice game", also "plundering”), from rafler (“to snatch, seize, carry off”), from Frankish *raffolōn, from Proto-Germanic *hrapōną, *hrēpōną (“to scratch, touch, pluck out, snatch”), from Proto-Indo… The correct English form is raffle, spelled R-A-F-F-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A drawing, often held as a fundraiser, in which tickets or chances are sold to win a prize.
  2. 2
    A game of dice in which the player who throws three of the same number wins all the stakes.
  3. 3
    The system by which cases are assigned to judges in multi-sala courts.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He entered a raffle to win a lifetime supply of toothpaste, but he did not win.
  2. The raffle was a big success—too big, in fact.

Etymology

From Middle English rafle, from Old French rafle, raffle (“dice game", also "plundering”), from rafler (“to snatch, seize, carry off”), from Frankish *raffolōn, from Proto-Germanic *hrapōną, *hrēpōną (“to scratch, touch, pluck out, snatch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreb(h)-, *(s)kerb(h)- (“to turn, bend, shrink”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Middle Dutch raffel (“dice game”), German raffen (“to snatch away, sweep off”), Old English hreppan (“to touch, treat, attack”).

This word in other languages

rifa(Español)tombola(Français)Tombola(Deutsch)rifa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arffle
  • raffel
  • rafflle
  • rafle
  • raflfe
  • rfafle
  • rraffle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

arffle2raffel2rafflle1rafle1raflfe2rfafle2rraffle1
Edit distance from "raffle"

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 "raffle"?
"raffle" is spelled R-A-F-F-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹæfl̩/.
What does "raffle" mean?
As a noun, "raffle" means: A drawing, often held as a fundraiser, in which tickets or chances are sold to win a prize.
What words are commonly confused with "raffle"?
"raffle" is commonly confused with "rifle", "rattle", "Randle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "raffle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "raffle" is /ˈɹæfl̩/. 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 "raffle"?
From Middle English rafle, from Old French rafle, raffle (“dice game", also "plundering”), from rafler (“to snatch, seize, carry off”), from Frankish *raffolōn, from Proto-Germanic *hrapōną, *hrēpōną (“to scratch, touch, pluck out, snatch”), from ... 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 "raffle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ragged#22,783recoil#22,785rejoin#22,788ornate#22,759

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

plume7 variantsOgden7 variantsstead7 variantsmagma7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list