# rag

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɹæɡ/ · frequency rank #13,996

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

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **re** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-re)
- **RS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rs)
- **rd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rd)
- **RT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rt)
- **RM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rm)
- **RN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rn)
- **RI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-ri)
- **RP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rp)
- **RC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rc)
- **RF** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rf)
- **RV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rv)
- **RR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rr)
- **RL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rl)
- **RH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rh)
- **RW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-rw)
- **run** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-run)
- **red** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-red)
- **ran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-ran)
- **ray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-ray)
- **row** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rag-vs-row)

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