ratio

/ˈɹeɪ.ʃi.əʊ/

//ˈɹeɪ.ʃi.əʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ratio” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,837. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,837
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A number representing a comparison between two named things.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ratio · ratio · English

ratio · rank #3,837 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,837
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH publishing

Nearest frequency peer: publishing (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ratio”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ratio” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

ratio vs Rio
40% similar
ratio vs rats
60% similar
ratio vs Ravi
40% similar

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

Key facts for ratio
PropertyValue
Headwordratio
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹeɪ.ʃi.əʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,837
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ratio”

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).ratiolands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “publishing” (#3,836), “regret” (#3,838), “programming” (#3,835). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “ratio” is #3,837. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around ratio (IPA /ˈɹeɪ.ʃi.əʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,837 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for ratio, with forms such as "artio", "raito", and "ratoi". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Rio", "rats", "Ravi", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin ratiō. Doublet of ration and reason. The correct English form is ratio, spelled R-A-T-I-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A number representing a comparison between two named things.
  2. 2
    The relative magnitudes of two quantities (usually expressed as a quotient).
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of ratio decidendi.
  4. 4
    The number of comments to a post or other expression on social media relative to the number of likes; a high ratio suggests disagreement with the contents of the original post.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Scientists believe that the sex ratio is equal at conception, explained Steven Orzack, president and senior research scientist of the Fresh Pond Research Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  2. On Monday, the issuer announced the addition of four new transfer partners — three airlines and one hotel chain — to its credit card rewards program, along with improved transfer ratios for several existing partners.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ratiō. Doublet of ration and reason.

This word in other languages

razón(Español)rapport(Français)Verhältnis(Deutsch)razão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • artio
  • raito
  • ratoi
  • rattio
  • rratio
  • rtaio

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ratio - 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.

artio2raito2ratoi2rattio1rratio1rtaio2
Edit distance from "ratio"

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 "ratio"?
"ratio" is spelled R-A-T-I-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹeɪ.ʃi.əʊ/.
What does "ratio" mean?
As a noun, "ratio" means: A number representing a comparison between two named things.
What words are commonly confused with "ratio"?
"ratio" is commonly confused with "Rio", "rats", "Ravi". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ratio"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ratio" is /ˈɹeɪ.ʃi.əʊ/. 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 "ratio"?
Borrowed from Latin ratiō. Doublet of ration and reason. 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 "ratio", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

scary#3,845spell#3,849lands#3,824sword#3,852

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Phil6 variantsward6 variantsdaddy6 variantsDiego6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list