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PlainSpell

ragged

/ˈɹæɡɪd/adjective, verb

ragged is spelled R-A-G-G-E-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ragged means “In tatters, having the texture broken” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in ragged?

Letters6: R-A-G-G-E-D
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is ragged?

Ragged appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce ragged?

  • /ˈɹæɡɪd/

As a verb: /ɹæɡd/.

Ragged has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ragged_(adj).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ragged_(verb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with ragged?

No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ragged.

Spelled with the same letters in another order: dagger.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of ragged

  • more ragged comparative
  • most ragged superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does ragged mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    In tatters, having the texture broken.

    a ragged coat

  2. 2

    Having rough edges; jagged or uneven

    ragged rocks

  3. 3

    Harsh-sounding; having an unpleasant noise

  4. 4

    Wearing tattered clothes.

    a ragged person

  5. 5

    Rough; shaggy; rugged.

  6. 6

    Faulty; lacking in skill, reliability, or organization.

  7. 7

    Performed in a syncopated manner, especially in ragtime.

  8. 8

    Of a data structure: having uneven levels.

    a ragged hierarchy

verb

  1. 1

    simple past and past participle of rag (a form of rag)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Ragged in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchen lambeaux, déguenillé (rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture…), enguenillé (wearing tattered clothes)
Portugueseesfarrapado (rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture…)
Spanishandrajoso, ajado (rent or worn into tatters, or till the texture…), harapiento, trapajoso, haraposo (wearing tattered clothes)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does ragged come from?

From Middle English ragged, from North Germanic. Compare with Old Norse rǫgvaðr (“tufted”) and Norwegian ragget (“shaggy”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after ragged