ripe

/ɹaɪp/

//ɹaɪp// adj

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

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

The verdict

“ripe” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,783 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#11,783
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a fruit, vegetable, seed, etc., ready for reaping or gathering; having attained perfection; mature.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ripe vs RP
0% similar
ripe vs rue
50% similar
ripe vs RPG
0% similar

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

Key facts for ripe
PropertyValue
Headwordripe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹaɪp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,783
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ripe” 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). ripe 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 ripe is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹaɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,783 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for ripe, with forms such as "irpe", "riep", and "rippe". 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, "RP", "rue", "RPG", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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”), Germa… The correct English form is ripe, spelled R-I-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a fruit, vegetable, seed, etc., ready for reaping or gathering; having attained perfection; mature.
  2. 2
    Of a food, advanced to the state of fitness for use; mellow.
  3. 3
    Having attained its full development; mature; perfected.
  4. 4
    Of a sore, tumor, etc., maturated or suppurated; ready to discharge.
  5. 5
    Ready for action or effect; prepared.
  6. 6
    Ofa person, ready, willing, eager.
  7. 7
    Like ripened fruit in ruddiness and plumpness.
  8. 8
    Intoxicated.
  9. 9
    Of a conflict between parties, having developed to a stage where the conflict may be reviewed by a court of law.
  10. 10
    Smelly: having a disagreeable odor.

Etymology

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.

Antonyms

unripe

This word in other languages

maduro(Español)mûr(Français)reif(Deutsch)maduro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: irpe,riep,rippe,rpie,rripe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ripe - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

irpe2riep2rippe1rpie2rripe1
Edit distance from "ripe"

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 "ripe"?
"ripe" is spelled R-I-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹaɪp/.
What does "ripe" mean?
As an adjective, "ripe" means: Of a fruit, vegetable, seed, etc., ready for reaping or gathering; having attained perfection; mature.
What words are commonly confused with "ripe"?
"ripe" is commonly confused with "RP", "rue", "RPG". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ripe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ripe" is /ɹaɪp/. 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 "ripe"?
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 (“rip... 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 “ripe”

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

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