ribbing
/ˈɹɪbɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
ribbing is spelled R-I-B-B-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ribbing means “jesting; joking” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ribbing?
| Letters | 7: R-I-B-B-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,129th 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 ribbing?
Ribbing appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th 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 ribbing?
- /ˈɹɪbɪŋ/
Ribbing has 2 syllables (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)-Persent101-ribbing.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ribbing?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ribbing.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: bribing.
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 ribbing
- more ribbing comparative
- most ribbing superlative
- ribbings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ribbing mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
jesting; joking
noun
- 1
The action of the verb to rib; teasing.
- 2
A rib, or the collective ribs, on an object.
- 3
An instance of teasing.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of rib
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ribbing in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 ribbing come from?
From rib (“tease”, verb) + -ing; from the common practice of tickling the ribs to cause laughter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).