rash
/ɹæʃ/
"rash" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rash” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,772 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #11,772
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Acting too quickly without considering the consequences and risks; not careful; hasty.
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 | rash |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɹæʃ/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #11,772 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “rash” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for rash is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹæʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,772 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for rash, with forms such as "arsh", "rahs", and "rashh". 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, "RS", "RH", "ray", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is derived from Middle English rash, rasch (“hasty, headstrong, rash”) [and other forms], probably from Old English *ræsċ (“rash”) (found in derivatives such as ræsċan (“to move rapidly; to flicker; to flash; to glitter; to quiver”), ræsċettan… The correct English form is rash, spelled R-A-S-H.
Definition
- 1Acting too quickly without considering the consequences and risks; not careful; hasty.
- 2Of corn or other grains: so dry as to fall out of the ear with handling.
- 3Requiring swift action; pressing; urgent.
- 4Taking effect quickly and strongly; fast-acting.
Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English rash, rasch (“hasty, headstrong, rash”) [and other forms], probably from Old English *ræsċ (“rash”) (found in derivatives such as ræsċan (“to move rapidly; to flicker; to flash; to glitter; to quiver”), ræsċettan (“to crackle, sparkle”), etc.), from Proto-West Germanic *rask, *raskī, *rasku, from Proto-Germanic *raskaz, *raskuz, *raþskaz, *raþskuz (“rash; rapid”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hreth₂- (“to run, roll”). The Middle English word was probably influenced by the cognates listed below. The adverb is derived from Middle English rashe (“quickly, rapidly”), from rash, rasch (adjective) (see above). Cognates * Dutch ras, rasch (“rash”) * Middle Low German rasch (“rash”) * Old Danish rask (“agile, nimble; fast; healthy, vigorous”) (modern Danish rask (“agile, nimble; fast; healthy, vigorous; hasty, rash”)) * Old High German reski (“impetuous, rash”) (Middle High German rasch, resch (“agile, nimble; fast; lively; healthy, vigorous”), modern German rasch, räsch, resch (“agile, nimble; fast; hasty, rash; healthy, vigorous; of food: crisp, crusty”)) * Old Norse rǫskr (“brave; healthy, vigorous”) (Icelandic röskur (“strong; healthy, vigorous”)) * Old Swedish rasker (“agile, nimble; brave; fast; vigorous”) (modern Swedish rask (“agile, nimble; fast; healthy, vigorous”))
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: arsh,rahs,rashh,rassh,rrash,rsah
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rash - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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
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Using “rash”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-A-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹæʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “RS” - see the side-by-side comparison. rash vs RS
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.