rave
/ɹeɪv/noun, verb
rave is spelled R-A-V-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rave means “An enthusiastic review (such as of a play)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rave is raves.
How many letters and syllables are in rave?
| Letters | 4: R-A-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.3 times per million words; the 14,509th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is rave?
Rave appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce rave?
- /ɹeɪv/
Rave has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-rave.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rave?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as rave.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: vera, aver, evar, vare.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of rave
- raves plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- raving participle, present
- raved participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rave mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
informalAn enthusiastic review (such as of a play).
It was the critic's rave that made me want to see the show.
- 2
A large-scale dance party with strobe lights and fast-paced electronic dance music, often illegally organized open-air or in underground venues.
She has attended a rave every weekend this month.
- 3
The genres of electronic dance music made to be played in rave parties.
I danced to rave music all night.
- 4
One of the upper side pieces of the frame of a wagon body or a sleigh.
verb
- 1
To be mentally unclear; to be delirious; to talk or act irrationally; to be wild, furious, or raging.
- 2
To speak or write wildly or incoherently.
- 3
To talk or otherwise express oneself with excessive enthusiasm, passion or excitement.
He raved about her beauty.
- 4
To speak (a message) with intense enthusiasm, passion or excitement.
She raved that she must seek revenge against the wrongdoers.
- 5
obsoleteTo rush wildly or furiously.
- 6
To attend a rave (dance party).
- 7
ScotlandTo wander or roam.
- 8
ScotlandTo stray or err.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rave in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Schwärmerei, schwärmerische Kritik, schwärmerische Rezension , Rave , toben, rasen |
| French | rave |
| Portuguese | rave , devanear, delirar, desvairar, tresvairar, tresloucar |
| Spanish | rave , desvariar, delirar, disparatar, devanear, desbarrar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does rave come from?
From Middle English raven (“to rave; talk like a madman”), from Old French raver, variant of resver, of uncertain origin. Compare rave below, and rove.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).