rape
/ˈɹeɪ̯p/
"rape" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rape” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,127. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #3,127
- frequency rank, English
- 3,094
- “R” headwords
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of forcing sex upon another person without their consent or against their will; originally coitus forced by a man on a woman, but now generally any sex act forced by any person upon another...
Corpus desk
Index EN-rape · rape · English
rape · rank #3,127 · 5 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #3,127
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 5 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,094
- PHOTO-FINISH proved
Nearest frequency peer: proved (-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 “rape”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- practical
practical
96,877 corpus weight
- primarily
primarily
96,876 corpus weight
- proved
proved
96,875 corpus weight
- rape
rape
96,874 corpus weight
- regardless
regardless
96,873 corpus weight
- relative
relative
96,872 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “rape” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | rape |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹeɪ̯p/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #3,127 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “rape” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 5 spelling variants around rape (IPA /ˈɹeɪ̯p/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,127 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for rape, with forms such as "arpe", "raep", and "rappe". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "re", "RP", "ray", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rapen, rappen (“to abduct; ravish; seduce; rape; seize; snatch; carry off; transport”), probably from Latin rapiō (verb), possibly through or influenced by Anglo-Norman rap, rape (noun) (compare also ravish). But compare Swedish rappa (“… The correct English form is rape, spelled R-A-P-E.
Definition
- 1The act of forcing sex upon another person without their consent or against their will; originally coitus forced by a man on a woman, but now generally any sex act forced by any person upon another person, regardless of gender; by extension, any non-consensual sex act forced on, perpetrated by, or forced to penetrate any being.
- 2An experience that is pleasant for one party and unpleasant for the other, particularly when the unwilling partner's suffering is worse than necessary.
- 3An experience that is pleasant for one party and unpleasant for the other, particularly when the unwilling partner's suffering is worse than necessary.
- 4The taking of something by force; seizure, plunder.
- 5The abduction of a woman, especially for sexual purposes.
- 6That which is snatched away.
- 7Movement, as in snatching; haste; hurry.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how rape appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I fled; but he pursued (though more, it seems, Inflamed with lust than rage), and, swifter far, Me overtook, his mother, all dismayed, And, in embraces forcible and foul Engendering with me, of that rape begot These yelling monsters […]
Last April the media world exploded in indignation at the rape and beating of a jogger in Central Park.
Etymology
From Middle English rapen, rappen (“to abduct; ravish; seduce; rape; seize; snatch; carry off; transport”), probably from Latin rapiō (verb), possibly through or influenced by Anglo-Norman rap, rape (noun) (compare also ravish). But compare Swedish rappa (“to snatch, seize, carry off”), Low German rapen (“to snatch, seize”), Dutch rapen (“to pick up, gather, collect”); the relationship with Germanic forms is not clear. Cognate with Lithuanian reikėti (“to be in need”). Compare also rap (“seize, snatch”). Further, some senses may be from Etymology 3, an Old Norse word.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- arpe
- raep
- rappe
- rpae
- rrape
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rape - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "rape", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "rape". Here's where to go from here.
- "rape" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "re". View pair
- 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #3,127 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.