ran

/ɹæn/

//ɹæn// verb

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

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

The verdict

“ran” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #1,437) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#1,437
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of run

Corpus desk

Index EN-ran · ran · English

ran · rank #1,437 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,437
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH produced

Nearest frequency peer: produced (-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 “ran”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ran” 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).

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

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

Key facts for ran
PropertyValue
Headwordran
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹæn/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,437
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ran” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “produced” (#1,436), “Saturday” (#1,438), “pop” (#1,435). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ran is neighbouring look-alikes ("re", "RS", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /ɹæn/. Frequency #1,437 among 3,094 “R” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ran, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "re", "RS", "rd", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is ran, spelled R-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of run
  2. 2
    simple past of rin
  3. 3
    past participle of run

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]rather to convince the Underſtanding, than to be eaſily capable of being anſwered ; excuſing your ſelf that you have ran into an Error, ſo foreign as you have declared from your Intention,[…]
  2. " Heretics and schismatics, because they rebel against her, and only belong to the church, as deserters to an army from which they have ran away ;[…]

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 "ran"?
"ran" is spelled R-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹæn/.
What does "ran" mean?
As a verb, "ran" means: simple past of run
What words are commonly confused with "ran"?
"ran" 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 "ran"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ran" is /ɹæn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ran" come from?
"ran" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "ran", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pop#1,435App#1,445fat#1,482Mrs#1,372

What to do next

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

  • "ran" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "re". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #1,437 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