risk

/ɹɪsk/

//ɹɪsk// noun

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

The verdict

“risk” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #955. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#955
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event.

Corpus desk

Index EN-risk · risk · English

risk · rank #955 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #955
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH released

Nearest frequency peer: released (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “risk”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “risk” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

risk vs RS
0% similar
risk vs RSS
0% similar
risk vs ROS
0% similar

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

Key facts for risk
PropertyValue
Headwordrisk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪsk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#955
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “risk”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).risklands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “released” (#954), “schools” (#956), “professional” (#953). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “risk” is #955. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around risk (IPA /ɹɪsk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #955 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for risk, with forms such as "irsk", "riks", and "riskk". 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, "RS", "RSS", "ROS", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier risque, from Middle French risque, from Old Italian risco (“risk”) (modern Italian rischio) and rischiare (“to run into danger”). Displaced native Old English pleoh (“risk”) and plēon (“to risk”). speculation on earlier roots Most dictionaries … The correct English form is risk, spelled R-I-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event.
  2. 2
    The magnitude of possible loss consequent to a decision or event.
  3. 3
    The potential negative effect of an event, determined by multiplying the likelihood of the event occurring with its magnitude should it occur.
  4. 4
    A possible adverse event or outcome.
  5. 5
    A possible adverse event or outcome.
  6. 6
    A thing (from the perspective of how likely or unlikely it is to cause an adverse effect).
  7. 7
    A thing (from the perspective of how likely or unlikely it is to cause an adverse effect).
  8. 8
    A thing (from the perspective of how likely or unlikely it is to cause an adverse effect).
  9. 9
    A thing (from the perspective of how likely or unlikely it is to cause an adverse effect).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There is risk of being brutalized, arrested, imprisoned and tortured, all because I want you to know the truth about this matter.
  2. What crop(s) to plant, how much area to devote to each crop, and how much risk to take with respect to rainfall during the season are some of the decisions that must be made.

Etymology

From earlier risque, from Middle French risque, from Old Italian risco (“risk”) (modern Italian rischio) and rischiare (“to run into danger”). Displaced native Old English pleoh (“risk”) and plēon (“to risk”). speculation on earlier roots Most dictionaries consider the etymology of these Italian terms uncertain, but some suggest they perhaps come from Vulgar Latin *resecum (“that which cuts, rock, crag”) (> Medieval Latin resicu), from Latin resecō (“cut off, loose, curtail”, verb), in the sense of that which is a danger to boating or shipping; or from Ancient Greek ῥιζικόν (rhizikón, “root, radical, hazard”). A few dictionaries express more certainty. Collins says the Italian risco comes from Ancient Greek ῥίζα (rhíza, “cliff”) due to the hazards of sailing along rocky coasts. The American Heritage says it probably comes from Byzantine Greek ῥιζικό, ριζικό (rhizikó, rizikó, “sustenance obtained by a soldier through his own initiative, fortune”), from Arabic رِزْق (rizq, “sustenance, that which God allots”), from Classical Syriac ܪܘܙܝܩܐ ,ܪܙܩܐ (rezqā, rōzīqā, “daily ration”), from Middle Persian [script needed] (rōčig), from Middle Persian [script needed] (rōč, “day”), from Old Persian [script needed] (*raučah-), from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-. Karla Mallette derives the word from Arabic رِزْق (rizq, “sustenance, that which God allots”) via Sabir. Cognate with Spanish riesgo, Portuguese risco

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • irsk
  • riks
  • riskk
  • rissk
  • rrisk
  • rsik

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of risk - 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.

irsk2riks2riskk1rissk1rrisk1rsik2
Edit distance from "risk"

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 "risk"?
"risk" is spelled R-I-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪsk/.
What does "risk" mean?
As a noun, "risk" means: The probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event.
What words are commonly confused with "risk"?
"risk" is commonly confused with "RS", "RSS", "ROS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "risk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "risk" is /ɹɪsk/. 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 "risk"?
From earlier risque, from Middle French risque, from Old Italian risco (“risk”) (modern Italian rischio) and rischiare (“to run into danger”). Displaced native Old English pleoh (“risk”) and plēon (“to risk”). speculation on earlier roots Most dic... 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 "risk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list