raw

/ɹɔː/

//ɹɔː// adj

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

"raw" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“raw” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,853 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2,853
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (of food) Not cooked.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

raw vs re
33% similar
raw vs RS
0% similar
raw vs rd
33% similar

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

Key facts for raw
PropertyValue
Headwordraw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɔː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,853
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “raw” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). raw lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for raw is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɔː/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,853 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for raw in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "re", "RS", "rd", 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 Middle English rawe, raw, rau, from Old English hrēaw (“raw, uncooked”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrau, from Proto-Germanic *hrawaz, *hrēwaz (“raw”), from Proto-Indo-European *krewh₂- (“raw meat, fresh blood”). Cognate with Scots raw (“raw”), Dutch ra… The correct English form is raw, spelled R-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    (of food) Not cooked.
  2. 2
    (of food) Not cooked.
  3. 3
    Not treated or processed; in a natural state, unrefined, unprocessed. (of materials, products, etc.)
  4. 4
    Having had the skin removed or abraded; chafed, tender; exposed, lacerated.
  5. 5
    New or inexperienced.
  6. 6
    Crude in quality; rough, uneven, unsophisticated.
  7. 7
    Uncorrected, without analysis.
  8. 8
    Unpleasantly cold or damp. (of weather)
  9. 9
    Unmasked, undisguised, strongly expressed. (of an emotion, personality, etc.)
  10. 10
    Candid in a representation of unpleasant facts, conditions, etc.
  11. 11
    Unrefined, crude, or insensitive, especially with reference to sexual matters. (of language)
  12. 12
    Without a condom.
  13. 13
    Not covered; bare; bald.

Etymology

From Middle English rawe, raw, rau, from Old English hrēaw (“raw, uncooked”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrau, from Proto-Germanic *hrawaz, *hrēwaz (“raw”), from Proto-Indo-European *krewh₂- (“raw meat, fresh blood”). Cognate with Scots raw (“raw”), Dutch rauw (“raw”), German roh (“raw”), Swedish rå (“raw”), Icelandic hrár (“raw”), Latin crūdus (“raw, bloody, uncooked”), Irish cró (“blood”), Lithuanian kraujas (“blood”), Russian кровь (krovʹ, “blood”). Related also to Old English hrēow, hrēoh (“rough, fierce, wild, angry, disturbed, troubled, sad, stormy, tempestuous”). More at ree.

Synonyms

rawcrudenaturalpurepristineunprocessedunrefineduntoucheduntreated

Antonyms

contaminatedimpuremanufacturedmodifiedprocessedrefined

This word in other languages

crudo(Español)cru(Français)roh(Deutsch)cru(Português)

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 "raw"?
"raw" is spelled R-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɔː/.
What does "raw" mean?
As an adjective, "raw" means: (of food) Not cooked.
What words are commonly confused with "raw"?
"raw" is commonly confused with "re", "RS", "rd". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "raw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "raw" is /ɹɔː/. 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 "raw"?
From Middle English rawe, raw, rau, from Old English hrēaw (“raw, uncooked”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrau, from Proto-Germanic *hrawaz, *hrēwaz (“raw”), from Proto-Indo-European *krewh₂- (“raw meat, fresh blood”). Cognate with Scots raw (“raw”)... 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.

Using “raw”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-A-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɔː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “re” - see the side-by-side comparison. raw vs re
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list