ripe
/ɹaɪp/adjective, noun, verb
ripe is spelled R-I-P-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ripe means “Of a fruit, vegetable, seed, etc., ready for reaping or gathering; having attained perfection; mature” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ripe?
| Letters | 4: R-I-P-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.7 times per million words; the 11,685th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 ripe?
Ripe appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th 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 ripe?
- US /ɹaɪp/
Ripe has one syllable (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: En-us-ripe.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ripe?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ripe from its last stressed vowel (/aɪp/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: pier, peri.
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 ripe
- riper comparative
- ripest superlative
- ripes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- riping participle, present
- riped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ripe mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a fruit, vegetable, seed, etc., ready for reaping or gathering; having attained perfection; mature.
ripe grain
- 2
Of a food, advanced to the state of fitness for use; mellow.
ripe cheese
- 3
Having attained its full development; mature; perfected.
- 4
archaicOf a sore, tumor, etc., maturated or suppurated; ready to discharge.
- 5
Ready for action or effect; prepared.
- 6
colloquialOf a person, ready, willing, eager.
- 7
Like ripened fruit in ruddiness and plumpness.
- 8
obsoleteIntoxicated.
- 9
proscribedRife
noun
- 1
A fruit or vegetable which has ripened.
- 2
The bank of a river.
verb
- 1
To ripen or mature.
- 2
obsoleteTo search; to rummage.
noun
- 1
A tuberculosis treatment regimen consisting of rifampicin (R), isoniazid (I), pyrazinamide (P), and ethambutol (E).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ripe in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mûr, mûre , accompli, accomplie |
| German | reif , ausgereift , gereift |
| Portuguese | maduro , maturo |
| Spanish | maduro, jecho , madurado , madurar |
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 ripe come from?
From Middle English ripe, rype, from Old English rīpe (“ripe, mature”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīpī, from Proto-Germanic *rīpijaz, *rīpiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyb- (“to snatch”). Cognate with West Frisian ryp (“ripe”), Dutch rijp (“ripe”), German reif (“ripe”). Related to reap.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).