rip

/ɹɪp/

//ɹɪp// verb

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

"rip" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rip” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #4,630) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#4,630
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rip · rip · English

rip · rank #4,630 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,630
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH responded

Nearest frequency peer: responded (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “rip”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “rip” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

rip vs RS
0% similar
rip vs RT
0% similar
rip vs RM
0% similar

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

Key facts for rip
PropertyValue
Headwordrip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪp/
Letters3
Frequency rank#4,630
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rip” 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). rip lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for rip is neighbouring look-alikes ("RS", "RT", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /ɹɪp/. Frequency #4,630 among 3,094 “R” headwords. 15 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

rip doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "RS", "RT", "RM", 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 rippen, from earlier ryppen (“to pluck”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rupjaną, *ruppōną, intensive of *raupijaną, causative of Proto-Indo-European *roub- ~ *reub-, variant of *Hrewp- (“to break”). See also West Frisian rippe, ripje, … The correct English form is rip, spelled R-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence.
  2. 2
    To tear apart; to rapidly become two parts.
  3. 3
    To remove violently or wrongly.
  4. 4
    To get by, or as if by, cutting or tearing.
  5. 5
    To move quickly and destructively.
  6. 6
    To cut wood along (parallel to) the grain.
  7. 7
    To copy data from a CD, DVD, Internet stream, etc., to a hard drive, portable device, etc.
  8. 8
    To take a hit, dose or shot of a drug (such as marijuana) or alcohol.
  9. 9
    To fart audibly.
  10. 10
    To mock or criticize (someone or something). (often used with on and into)
  11. 11
    To steal; to rip off.
  12. 12
    To move or act fast; to rush headlong.
  13. 13
    To tear up for search or disclosure, or for alteration; to search to the bottom; to discover; to disclose; usually with up.
  14. 14
    To surf extremely well.
  15. 15
    To be very good; rock

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to rip a garment; to rip up a floor
  2. For a spell we done pretty well. Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand.

Etymology

From Middle English rippen, from earlier ryppen (“to pluck”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rupjaną, *ruppōną, intensive of *raupijaną, causative of Proto-Indo-European *roub- ~ *reub-, variant of *Hrewp- (“to break”). See also West Frisian rippe, ripje, roppe, ropje (“to rip”), Dutch dialectal rippen, Low German ruppen, German Low German röpen, German rupfen, also Old English rīpan, rīepan (“to plunder”), West Frisian rippe (“to rip, tear”), German raufen (“to rip”); also Albanian rrabe ‘maquis’, possibly Latin rubus (“bramble”). More at reave, rob.

Synonyms

tear

This word in other languages

rasgar(Español)ripper(Français)zerreißen(Deutsch)rasgar(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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "rip"?
"rip" is spelled R-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪp/.
What does "rip" mean?
As a verb, "rip" means: To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence.
What words are commonly confused with "rip"?
"rip" is commonly confused with "RS", "RT", "RM". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rip" is /ɹɪp/. 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 "rip"?
From Middle English rippen, from earlier ryppen (“to pluck”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rupjaną, *ruppōną, intensive of *raupijaną, causative of Proto-Indo-European *roub- ~ *reub-, variant of *Hrewp- (“to break”). See also West Frisian ripp... 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 "rip", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Ted#4,636yea#4,645Des#4,664DVD#4,666

What to do next

You've looked up "rip". Here's where to go from here.

  • "rip" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "RS". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #4,630 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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