risks

/ɹɪsks/

//ɹɪsks// noun

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

The verdict

“risks” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,978 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,978
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of risk

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

risks vs RSS
0% similar
risks vs Ross
40% similar
risks vs Russ
40% similar

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

Key facts for risks
PropertyValue
Headwordrisks
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪsks/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,978
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “risks” 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). risks 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 risks is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪsks/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,978 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "plural of risk".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for risks, with forms such as "irsks", "rikss", and "riskks". 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, "RSS", "Ross", "Russ", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is risks, spelled R-I-S-K-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of risk

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: irsks,rikss,riskks,riskss,rissks,rrisks,rsiks

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

irsks2rikss2riskks1riskss1rissks1rrisks1rsiks2
Edit distance from "risks"

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 "risks"?
"risks" is spelled R-I-S-K-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪsks/.
What does "risks" mean?
As a noun, "risks" means: plural of risk
What words are commonly confused with "risks"?
"risks" is commonly confused with "RSS", "Ross", "Russ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "risks"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "risks" is /ɹɪsks/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "risks" come from?
"risks" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “risks”

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

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