ridge

/ɹɪd͡ʒ/

//ɹɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

"ridge" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ridge” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,914 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,914
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The back of any animal; especially the upper or projecting part of the back of a quadruped.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ridge vs rig
60% similar
ridge vs ring
60% similar
ridge vs rise
60% similar

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

Key facts for ridge
PropertyValue
Headwordridge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪd͡ʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,914
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ridge” 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). ridge 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 ridge is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,914 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ridge, with forms such as "irdge", "rdige", and "riddge". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rig", "ring", "rise", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rigge, rygge, (also rig, ryg, rug), from Old English hryċġ (“back, spine, ridge, elevated surface”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrugi, from Proto-Germanic *hrugjaz (“back”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krewk-, *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”).… The correct English form is ridge, spelled R-I-D-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The back of any animal; especially the upper or projecting part of the back of a quadruped.
  2. 2
    Any extended protuberance; a projecting line or strip.
  3. 3
    The line along which two sloping surfaces meet which diverge towards the ground.
  4. 4
    The highest point on a roof, represented by a horizontal line where two roof areas intersect, running the length of the area.
  5. 5
    The highest portion of the glacis proceeding from the salient angle of the covered way.
  6. 6
    A chain of mountains.
  7. 7
    A chain of hills.
  8. 8
    A long narrow elevation on an ocean bottom.
  9. 9
    An elongated region of high atmospheric pressure.

Etymology

From Middle English rigge, rygge, (also rig, ryg, rug), from Old English hryċġ (“back, spine, ridge, elevated surface”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrugi, from Proto-Germanic *hrugjaz (“back”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krewk-, *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots rig (“back, spine, ridge”), North Frisian reg (“back”), West Frisian rêch (“back”), Dutch rug (“back, ridge”), German Rücken (“back, ridge”), Swedish rygg (“back, spine, ridge”), Icelandic hryggur (“spine”). Cognate to Albanian kërrus (“to bend one's back”) and kurriz (“back”).

This word in other languages

cresta(Español)crête(Français)Grat(Deutsch)cumeeira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: irdge,rdige,riddge,rideg,ridgge,rigde,rridge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ridge - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

irdge2rdige2riddge1rideg2ridgge1rigde2rridge1
Edit distance from "ridge"

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 "ridge"?
"ridge" is spelled R-I-D-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "ridge" mean?
As a noun, "ridge" means: The back of any animal; especially the upper or projecting part of the back of a quadruped.
What words are commonly confused with "ridge"?
"ridge" is commonly confused with "rig", "ring", "rise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ridge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ridge" is /ɹɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "ridge"?
From Middle English rigge, rygge, (also rig, ryg, rug), from Old English hryċġ (“back, spine, ridge, elevated surface”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrugi, from Proto-Germanic *hrugjaz (“back”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krewk-, *(s)ker- (“to tur... 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 “ridge”

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

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