rummage
/ˈɹʌm.ɪd͡ʒ/
"rummage" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rummage” is uncommon English (frequency #50,783 among 21,470 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #50,783
- frequency rank, English
- 21,470
- “R” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To arrange (cargo, goods, etc.) in the hold of a ship; to move or rearrange such goods.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | rummage |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɹʌm.ɪd͡ʒ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #50,783 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “rummage” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
rummage is uncommon English at frequency #50,783 among 21,470 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɹʌm.ɪd͡ʒ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
rummage doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ronage, from Old French arrumage (compare French arrimage), from arrumer (“to arrange the cargo in the hold”) (compare French arrimer and Spanish arrumar). The correct English form is rummage, spelled R-U-M-M-A-G-E.
Definition
- 1To arrange (cargo, goods, etc.) in the hold of a ship; to move or rearrange such goods.
- 2To search a vessel for smuggled goods.
- 3To search something thoroughly and with disregard for the way in which things were arranged.
- 4To hastily search for something in a confined space and among many items by carelessly turning things over or pushing things aside; dig through carelessly.
Etymology
From Middle English ronage, from Old French arrumage (compare French arrimage), from arrumer (“to arrange the cargo in the hold”) (compare French arrimer and Spanish arrumar).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “rummage”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-U-M-M-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹʌm.ɪd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.