ruffle some feathers
"ruffle-some-feathers" is a 18-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ruffle some feathers” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 20
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cause a disturbance; to arouse resentment, anger, or concern.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ruffle some feathers |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 20 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ruffle some feathers” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ruffle some feathers is 20 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To cause a disturbance; to arouse resentment, anger, or concern.".
No misspelling variants are generated for ruffle some feathers in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Evoking the image of roosters, who ruffle their neck feathers when threatened. OED's earliest attestation is from 1829. Perhaps a variant of an earlier phrase "ruffle the tempers", attested since at least 1722. The correct English form is ruffle some feathers, spelled R-U-F-F-L-E- -S-O-M-E- -F-E-A-T-H-E-R-S.
Definition
- 1To cause a disturbance; to arouse resentment, anger, or concern.
Etymology
Evoking the image of roosters, who ruffle their neck feathers when threatened. OED's earliest attestation is from 1829. Perhaps a variant of an earlier phrase "ruffle the tempers", attested since at least 1722.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “ruffle some feathers”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-U-F-F-L-E- -S-O-M-E- -F-E-A-T-H-E-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.