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range

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "range", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "range" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "range" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

range is aEnglishnoun. It means: A line or series of mountains, buildings, etc. Pronounced /ɹeɪnd͡ʒ/. It ranks #793 in English word frequency. Often confused with rate and ring.

Key facts for range
PropertyValue
Headwordrange
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹeɪnd͡ʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#793
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of range in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for range is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹeɪnd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #793 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 22 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for range, with forms such as "arnge", "ragne", and "raneg". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rate", "ring", "rare", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rengen, from Old French rengier (“to range, to rank, to order,”), from the noun renc, reng, ranc, rang (“a rank, row”), from Frankish *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“ring, circle, curve”). Doublet of ring. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is range, spelled R-A-N-G-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A line or series of mountains, buildings, etc.
  2. 2
    A fireplace; a fire or other cooking apparatus; now specifically, a large cooking stove with many burners (hotplates).
  3. 3
    Selection, array.
  4. 4
    An area for practicing shooting at targets.
  5. 5
    An area for military training or equipment testing.
  6. 6
    The distance from a person or sensor to an object, target, emanation, or event.
  7. 7
    The maximum distance or reach of capability (of a weapon, radio, detector, etc.).
  8. 8
    The distance a vehicle (e.g., a car, bicycle, lorry, or aircraft) can travel without refueling.
  9. 9
    An area of open, often unfenced, grazing land.
  10. 10
    The extent or space taken in by anything excursive; compass or extent of excursion; reach; scope.
  11. 11
    The set of values (points) which a function can obtain.
  12. 12
    The length of the smallest interval which contains all the data in a sample; the difference between the largest and smallest observations in the sample.
  13. 13
    The defensive area that a player can cover.
  14. 14
    The scale of all the tones a voice or an instrument can produce.
  15. 15
    The geographical area or zone where a species is normally naturally found.
  16. 16
    A sequential list of values specified by an iterator.
  17. 17
    An aggregate of individuals in one rank or degree; an order; a class.
  18. 18
    The step of a ladder; a rung.
  19. 19
    A bolting sieve to sift meal.
  20. 20
    A wandering or roving; a going to and fro; an excursion; a ramble; an expedition.
  21. 21
    In the public land system, a row or line of townships lying between two succession meridian lines six miles apart.
  22. 22
    The variety of roles that an actor can play in a satisfactory way.

Etymology

From Middle English rengen, from Old French rengier (“to range, to rank, to order,”), from the noun renc, reng, ranc, rang (“a rank, row”), from Frankish *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“ring, circle, curve”). Doublet of ring.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: arnge,ragne,raneg,rangge,rannge,rnage,rrange

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for range

Misspelling Variants of "range"

arnge5ragne5raneg5rangge6rannge6rnage5rrange6
Misspelling Variants of "range"

Frequency rank: #793 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "range"?
"range" is spelled R-A-N-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹeɪnd͡ʒ/.
What does "range" mean?
As a noun, "range" means: A line or series of mountains, buildings, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "range"?
"range" is commonly confused with "rate", "ring", "rare". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "range"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "range" is /ɹeɪnd͡ʒ/. 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 "range"?
From Middle English rengen, from Old French rengier (“to range, to rank, to order,”), from the noun renc, reng, ranc, rang (“a rank, row”), from Frankish *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“ring, circle, curve”). Doublet of ring. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter R in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.