ravenous

/ˈɹævənəs/

//ˈɹævənəs// adj

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

"ravenous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ravenous” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,049. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,049
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Very hungry.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ravenous · ravenous · English

ravenous · rank #39,049 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,049
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH ravages

Nearest frequency peer: ravages (-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 “ravenous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ravenous” 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
Key facts for ravenous
PropertyValue
Headwordravenous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹævənəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#39,049
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ravenous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).ravenouslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “ravages” (#39,048), “rearranging” (#39,051), “Ralston” (#39,046). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “ravenous” is #39,049. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around ravenous (IPA /ˈɹævənəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #39,049 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for ravenous, with forms such as "arvenous", "raevnous", and "ravennous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ravenous, ravynous, from Old French ravineus. The correct English form is ravenous, spelled R-A-V-E-N-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Very hungry.
  2. 2
    Greedy, characterized by strong desires.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. There is something humiliating about it.
  2. You must remember no one had eaten a thing for several days. They were ravenous. So for a while there was no conversation at all. There was only the sound of crunching and chewing as the animals attacked the succulent food.

Etymology

From Middle English ravenous, ravynous, from Old French ravineus.

Synonyms

starving

This word in other languages

angurriento(Español)affamé(Français)gefräßig(Deutsch)faminto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arvenous
  • raevnous
  • ravennous
  • ravenosu
  • ravenouss
  • ravenuos
  • raveonus
  • ravneous
  • ravvenous
  • rravenous
  • rvaenous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

arvenous2raevnous2ravennous1ravenosu2ravenouss1ravenuos2raveonus2ravneous2
Edit distance from "ravenous"

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 "ravenous"?
"ravenous" is spelled R-A-V-E-N-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹævənəs/.
What does "ravenous" mean?
As an adjective, "ravenous" means: Very hungry.
What are common misspellings of "ravenous"?
Common misspellings include "arvenous", "raevnous", "ravennous", "ravenosu", "ravenouss". The correct spelling is "ravenous".
How do you pronounce "ravenous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ravenous" is /ˈɹævənəs/. 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 "ravenous"?
From Middle English ravenous, ravynous, from Old French ravineus. 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 "ravenous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

riparian#39,063Rumsfeld#39,070santorum#39,073peerless#39,022

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Ralston11 variantsscalpel11 variantsscraper11 variantsspender11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list