rich

/ɹɪt͡ʃ/

//ɹɪt͡ʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“rich” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,318 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,318
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

rich vs rid
50% similar
rich vs Rio
25% similar
rich vs rip
50% similar

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

Key facts for rich
PropertyValue
Headwordrich
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɪt͡ʃ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,318
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rich” 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). rich 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 rich is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪt͡ʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,318 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for rich, with forms such as "irch", "rcih", and "ricch". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rid", "Rio", "rip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English riche (“strong, powerful, rich”), from Old English rīċe (“powerful, mighty, great, high-ranking, rich, wealthy, strong, potent”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīkī (“powerful, rich”), from Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz (“kingly, powerful, rich”),… The correct English form is rich, spelled R-I-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.
  2. 2
    Having an intense fatty or sugary flavour.
  3. 3
    Remunerative.
  4. 4
    Plentiful, abounding, abundant, fulfilling.
  5. 5
    Yielding large returns; productive or fertile; fruitful.
  6. 6
    Composed of valuable or costly materials or ingredients; procured at great outlay; highly valued; precious; sumptuous; costly.
  7. 7
    Not faint or delicate; vivid.
  8. 8
    Very amusing.
  9. 9
    Ridiculous, absurd, outrageous, preposterous, especially in a galling, hypocritical, or brazen way.
  10. 10
    Pornographic; titillating.
  11. 11
    Elaborate, having complex formatting, multimedia, or depth of interaction.
  12. 12
    Of a solute-solvent solution: not weak (not diluted); of strong concentration.
  13. 13
    Of a solute-solvent solution: not weak (not diluted); of strong concentration.
  14. 14
    Trading at a price level which is high relative to historical trends, a similar asset, or (for derivatives) a theoretical value.

Etymology

From Middle English riche (“strong, powerful, rich”), from Old English rīċe (“powerful, mighty, great, high-ranking, rich, wealthy, strong, potent”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīkī (“powerful, rich”), from Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz (“kingly, powerful, rich”), from Proto-Germanic *rīks (“king, ruler”), an early borrowing from Proto-Celtic *rīxs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs. Reinforced by Old French riche, from the same West Germanic source.

This word in other languages

rico(Español)riche(Français)reich(Deutsch)rico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: irch,rcih,ricch,richh,rihc,rrich

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

irch2rcih2ricch1richh1rihc2rrich1
Edit distance from "rich"

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 "rich"?
"rich" is spelled R-I-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪt͡ʃ/.
What does "rich" mean?
As an adjective, "rich" means: Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.
What words are commonly confused with "rich"?
"rich" is commonly confused with "rid", "Rio", "rip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rich"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rich" is /ɹɪt͡ʃ/. 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 "rich"?
From Middle English riche (“strong, powerful, rich”), from Old English rīċe (“powerful, mighty, great, high-ranking, rich, wealthy, strong, potent”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīkī (“powerful, rich”), from Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz (“kingly, powerfu... 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 “rich”

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

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