rag

/ˈɹæɡ/

//ˈɹæɡ// noun

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

"rag" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rag” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #13,996) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#13,996
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tattered clothes (clothing).

Corpus desk

Index EN-rag · rag · English

rag · rank #13,996 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,996
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH raj

Nearest frequency peer: raj (+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 “rag”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “rag” 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 September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

rag vs re
33% similar
rag vs RS
0% similar
rag vs rd
33% similar

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

Key facts for rag
PropertyValue
Headwordrag
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹæɡ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#13,996
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rag” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).raglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “raj” (#13,997), “rampant” (#13,998), “pun” (#13,993). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for rag is neighbouring look-alikes ("re", "RS", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈɹæɡ/. Frequency #13,996 among 3,094 “R” headwords. 12 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for rag, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "re", "RS", "rd", 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 ragge, from Old English ragg (suggested by derivative raggiġ (“shaggy; bristly; ragged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft; shagginess”), from Proto-Germanic *rawwa-, probably related to *rūhaz. Cognate with Swedish ragg. Related to rug. The correct English form is rag, spelled R-A-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tattered clothes (clothing).
  2. 2
    A piece of old cloth, especially one used for cleaning, patching, etc.; a tattered piece of cloth; a shred or tatter.
  3. 3
    A shabby, beggarly person; synonym of ragamuffin.
  4. 4
    A ragged edge in metalworking.
  5. 5
    A sail, or any piece of canvas.
  6. 6
    Sanitary napkins, pads, or other materials used to absorb menstrual discharge.
  7. 7
    A newspaper or magazine, especially one whose journalism is considered to be of poor quality.
  8. 8
    A poor, low-ranking kicker.
  9. 9
    A curtain of various kinds.
  10. 10
    A person suffering from exhaustion or lack of energy.
  11. 11
    A banknote.
  12. 12
    An uneven vertical margin (of a block of type).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. —What a pretty dress! —What, this old rag?
  2. It's semiformal. I can't show up dressed in rags!

Etymology

From Middle English ragge, from Old English ragg (suggested by derivative raggiġ (“shaggy; bristly; ragged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft; shagginess”), from Proto-Germanic *rawwa-, probably related to *rūhaz. Cognate with Swedish ragg. Related to rug.

This word in other languages

jirón(Español)chiffon(Français)Lappen(Deutsch)trapo(Português)

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 "rag"?
"rag" is spelled R-A-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹæɡ/.
What does "rag" mean?
As a noun, "rag" means: Tattered clothes (clothing).
What words are commonly confused with "rag"?
"rag" is commonly confused with "re", "RS", "rd". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rag"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rag" is /ˈɹæɡ/. 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 "rag"?
From Middle English ragge, from Old English ragg (suggested by derivative raggiġ (“shaggy; bristly; ragged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft; shagginess”), from Proto-Germanic *rawwa-, probably related to *rūhaz. Cognate with Swedish ragg. Related to... 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 "rag", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

raj#13,997pun#13,993Poe#13,986phi#13,979

What to do next

You've looked up "rag". Here's where to go from here.

  • "rag" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "re". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #13,996 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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