ravage

/ˈɹævɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈɹævɪd͡ʒ// verb

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

"ravage" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ravage” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,444. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,444
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To devastate, destroy or lay waste to something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ravage · ravage · English

ravage · rank #48,444 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,444
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rapier

Nearest frequency peer: rapier (-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 “ravage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ravage” 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).

ravage vs rave
67% similar
ravage vs ravine
67% similar
ravage vs ravaged
86% similar

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

Key facts for ravage
PropertyValue
Headwordravage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɹævɪd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#48,444
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ravage”

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).ravagelands 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 “rapier” (#48,443), “readjust” (#48,445), “reams” (#48,447). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “ravage” is #48,444. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around ravage (IPA /ˈɹævɪd͡ʒ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #48,444 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for ravage, with forms such as "arvage", "raavge", and "ravaeg". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "rave", "ravine", "ravaged", 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 French ravage (“ravage, havoc, spoil”), from ravir (“to bear away suddenly”), from Latin rapere (“to snatch, seize”), akin to Ancient Greek ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to seize”). The correct English form is ravage, spelled R-A-V-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To devastate, destroy or lay waste to something.
  2. 2
    To pillage or plunder destructively; to sack.
  3. 3
    To wreak destruction.
  4. 4
    To have vigorous sexual intercourse with.
  5. 5
    To rape.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Already Cæſar Has ravaged more than half the Globe, and ſees Mankind grown thin by his deſtructive Sword: Should he go further, Numbers would be wanting To form new Battels, and ſupport his Crimes.
  2. But the most important service which Probus rendered to the republic was the deliverance of Gaul, and the recovery of seventy flourishing cities oppressed by the barbarians of Germany, who, since the death of Aurelian, had ravaged that great province with impunity.

Etymology

From French ravage (“ravage, havoc, spoil”), from ravir (“to bear away suddenly”), from Latin rapere (“to snatch, seize”), akin to Ancient Greek ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to seize”).

This word in other languages

estragar(Español)ravager(Français)verwüsten(Deutsch)devastar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arvage
  • raavge
  • ravaeg
  • ravagge
  • ravgae
  • ravvage
  • rravage
  • rvaage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ravage - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

arvage2raavge2ravaeg2ravagge1ravgae2ravvage1rravage1rvaage2
Edit distance from "ravage"

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 "ravage"?
"ravage" is spelled R-A-V-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹævɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "ravage" mean?
As a verb, "ravage" means: To devastate, destroy or lay waste to something.
What words are commonly confused with "ravage"?
"ravage" is commonly confused with "rave", "ravine", "ravaged". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ravage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ravage" is /ˈɹævɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "ravage"?
From French ravage (“ravage, havoc, spoil”), from ravir (“to bear away suddenly”), from Latin rapere (“to snatch, seize”), akin to Ancient Greek ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to seize”). 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 "ravage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rapier#48,443raglan#48,439phlegm#48,412Sinead#48,483

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Murano8 variantsMidori8 variantsleaker8 variantsKoichi8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list