raise

/ɹeɪz/

//ɹeɪz// verb

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

"raise" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“raise” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,836. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,836
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-raise · raise · English

raise · rank #1,836 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,836
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH presented

Nearest frequency peer: presented (-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 “raise”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “raise” 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).

raise vs ras
60% similar
raise vs rate
60% similar
raise vs risk
60% similar

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

Key facts for raise
PropertyValue
Headwordraise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹeɪz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,836
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “raise” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).raiselands 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 “presented” (#1,835), “responsibility” (#1,837), “paying” (#1,834). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around raise (IPA /ɹeɪz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,836 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 26 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for raise, with forms such as "raies", "raisse", and "rasie". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ras", "rate", "risk", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English reysen, raisen, reisen, from Old Norse reisa (“to raise”), from Proto-Germanic *raisijaną, *raizijaną (“to raise”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *rīsaną (“to rise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to rise, arise”). According to K… The correct English form is raise, spelled R-A-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  2. 2
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  3. 3
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  4. 4
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  5. 5
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  6. 6
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  7. 7
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  8. 8
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  9. 9
    To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
  10. 10
    To create, increase or develop.
  11. 11
    To create, increase or develop.
  12. 12
    To create, increase or develop.
  13. 13
    To create, increase or develop.
  14. 14
    To create, increase or develop.
  15. 15
    To create, increase or develop.
  16. 16
    To create, increase or develop.
  17. 17
    To create, increase or develop.
  18. 18
    To establish contact with (e.g., by telephone or radio).
  19. 19
    To respond to a bet by increasing the amount required to continue in the hand.
  20. 20
    To exponentiate, to involute.
  21. 21
    To extract (a subject or other verb argument) out of an inner clause.
  22. 22
    To produce a vowel with the tongue positioned closer to the roof of the mouth.
  23. 23
    To increase the nominal value of (a cheque, money order, etc.) by fraudulently changing the writing or printing in which the sum payable is specified.
  24. 24
    To instantiate and transmit (an exception, by throwing it, or an event).
  25. 25
    To open, initiate.
  26. 26
    Misspelling of raze.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to raise your hand if you want to say something; to raise your walking stick to defend yourself
  2. the flag was raised

Etymology

From Middle English reysen, raisen, reisen, from Old Norse reisa (“to raise”), from Proto-Germanic *raisijaną, *raizijaną (“to raise”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *rīsaną (“to rise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to rise, arise”). According to Kroonen (2013), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- (“to stir, rise”). Cognate with Old English rāsian (“to explore, examine, research”), Old English rīsan (“to seize, carry off”), Old English rǣran (“to raise”). Doublet of rear.

Synonyms

lift

This word in other languages

levantar(Español)élever(Français)heben(Deutsch)levantar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • raies
  • raisse
  • rasie
  • riase
  • rraise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

raies2raisse1rasie2riase2rraise1
Edit distance from "raise"

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 "raise"?
"raise" is spelled R-A-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹeɪz/.
What does "raise" mean?
As a verb, "raise" means: To cause to rise; to lift or elevate.
What words are commonly confused with "raise"?
"raise" is commonly confused with "ras", "rate", "risk". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "raise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "raise" is /ɹeɪz/. 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 "raise"?
From Middle English reysen, raisen, reisen, from Old Norse reisa (“to raise”), from Proto-Germanic *raisijaną, *raizijaną (“to raise”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *rīsaną (“to rise”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to rise, arise”). Acco... 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 "raise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

guide#1,829frank#1,828treat#1,844yours#1,849

Similar misspelling depth

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

file5 variantsends5 variantsedge5 variantsbusy5 variants

What to do next

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

  • "raise" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "ras". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,836 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