readme
/ˈɹidmi/
"readme" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“readme” is uncommon English (frequency #75,341 among 21,470 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #75,341
- frequency rank, English
- 21,470
- “R” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A text file meant to be read before taking any significant action with the items it accompanies.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | readme |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹidmi/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #75,341 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “readme” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
readme is uncommon English at frequency #75,341 among 21,470 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹidmi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A text file meant to be read before taking any significant action with the items it accompanies.".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for readme, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From read + me. The correct English form is readme, spelled R-E-A-D-M-E.
Definition
- 1A text file meant to be read before taking any significant action with the items it accompanies.
Etymology
From read + me.
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 "readme"?
What does "readme" mean?
How do you pronounce "readme"?
What is the origin of the word "readme"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “readme”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-A-D-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹidmi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.