raze

/ɹeɪz/

//ɹeɪz// verb

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

"raze" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“raze” is uncommon English (frequency #51,944 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,944
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To level or tear down (a building, a town, etc.) to the ground; to demolish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-raze · raze · English

raze · rank #51,944 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,944
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH ratatouille

Nearest frequency peer: ratatouille (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “raze”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “raze” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for raze
PropertyValue
Headwordraze
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹeɪz/
Letters4
Frequency rank#51,944
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “raze” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “ratatouille” (#51,943), “relent” (#51,947), “Renfrew” (#51,948). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “raze” is #51,944. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

raze is uncommon English at frequency #51,944 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹeɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 15 senses are on record.

raze doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is derived from Middle English rasen, racen, rase (“to scrape; to shave; to erase; to pull; to strip off; to pluck or tear out; to root out (a tree, etc.); to pull away, snatch; to pull down; to knock down; to rend, tear apart; to pick clean, strip… The correct English form is raze, spelled R-A-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To level or tear down (a building, a town, etc.) to the ground; to demolish.
  2. 2
    To completely remove (someone or something), especially from a place, a situation, etc.; also, to remove from existence; to destroy, to obliterate.
  3. 3
    To erase (a record, text, etc.), originally by scraping; to rub out, to scratch out.
  4. 4
    To wound (someone or part of their body) superficially; to graze.
  5. 5
    To alter (a document) by erasing parts of it.
  6. 6
    To carve (a line, mark, etc.) into something; to incise, to inscribe; also, to carve lines, marks, etc., into (something); to engrave.
  7. 7
    To remove (something) by scraping; also, to cut or shave (something) off.
  8. 8
    To rub lightly along the surface of (something); brush against, to graze.
  9. 9
    To scrape (something), with or as if with a razor, to remove things from its surface; also, to reduce (something) to small pieces by scraping; to grate.
  10. 10
    To shave (someone or part of their body) with a razor, etc.
  11. 11
    To cut, scratch, or tear (someone or something) with a sharp object; to lacerate, to slash.
  12. 12
    To carve lines, marks, etc., into something.
  13. 13
    To graze or rub lightly along a surface.
  14. 14
    To penetrate through something; to pierce.
  15. 15
    Of a horse: to wear down its corner teeth as it ages, losing the black marks in their crevices.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The fortreſſe was raſed and beaten downe to the erthe⸝ whiche had coſt moche the makynge therof: […]
  2. Theſe are his ſubſtance, ſinevves, armes, and ſtrength, / VVith vvhich he yoaketh your rebellious Neckes, / Razeth your Cities, and ſubuerts your Tovvnes, / And in a moment makes them deſolate.

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English rasen, racen, rase (“to scrape; to shave; to erase; to pull; to strip off; to pluck or tear out; to root out (a tree, etc.); to pull away, snatch; to pull down; to knock down; to rend, tear apart; to pick clean, strip; to cleave, slice; to sever; to lacerate; to pierce; to carve, engrave; to dig; (figurative) to expunge, obliterate; to alter”), from Anglo-Norman raser, rasere, rasser, Middle French raser, and Old French raser (“to shave; to touch lightly, graze; to level off (grain, etc.) in a measure; to demolish, tear down; to erase; to polish; to wear down”), from Vulgar Latin *raso (“to shave; to scrape; to scratch; to touch lightly, graze”), from Latin rāsus (“scraped; shaved”), the perfect passive participle of rādō (“to scrape, scratch; to shave; to rub, smooth; to brush along, graze”). Doublet of rash (etymology 2 and etymology 7). The noun is derived from the verb.

This word in other languages

arrasar(Español)raser(Français)schleifen(Deutsch)arrasar(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 "raze"?
"raze" is spelled R-A-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹeɪz/.
What does "raze" mean?
As a verb, "raze" means: To level or tear down (a building, a town, etc.) to the ground; to demolish.
How do you pronounce "raze"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "raze" is /ɹeɪz/. 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 "raze"?
The verb is derived from Middle English rasen, racen, rase (“to scrape; to shave; to erase; to pull; to strip off; to pluck or tear out; to root out (a tree, etc.); to pull away, snatch; to pull down; to knock down; to rend, tear apart; to pick cl... 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 "raze", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Rian#51,955RINO#51,957sabo#51,970smit#52,004

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list