ruffian
ruf·fi·an/ˈɹʌfi.ən/noun, verb, adjective
ruffian is spelled R-U-F-F-I-A-N: 7 letters and 3 syllables (ruf·fi·an). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,179th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ruffian means “A scoundrel, rascal, or unprincipled, deceitful, brutal and unreliable person” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ruffian is ruffians.
How many letters and syllables are in ruffian?
| Letters | 7: R-U-F-F-I-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ruf·fi·an |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 62,179th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 ruffian?
Ruffian appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,179th 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 ruffian?
- /ˈɹʌfi.ən/
Ruffian has 3 syllables, split ruf·fi·an in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ruffian.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ruffian?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ruffian.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: funfair.
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 ruffian
- ruffians plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ruffianing participle, present
- ruffianed participle, past
- more ruffian comparative
- most ruffian superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ruffian mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A scoundrel, rascal, or unprincipled, deceitful, brutal and unreliable person.
- 2
obsoleteA pimp; a pander.
- 3
obsoleteA lover; a paramour.
verb
- 1
To play the ruffian; to rage; to raise tumult.
adjective
- 1
Brutal, cruel, ruffianlike.
ruffian rage
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ruffian in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense scoundrel, rascal:
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 ruffian come from?
From Middle French rufian, from Italian ruffiano (“pimp”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).