run around
"run-around" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“run around” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be very busy doing many different things.
Corpus desk
Index EN-run-around · run around · English
run around · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "R" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | run around |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “run around” in English
Rare enough to double-check
run around is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for run around in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is run around, spelled R-U-N- -A-R-O-U-N-D.
Definition
- 1To be very busy doing many different things.
- 2To go from place to place.
- 3To move from one end of the consist to the other, so as to pull the train in the opposite direction.
- 4To cheat; to be unfaithful to a romantic partner.
- 5To change one's position on the court to hit a forehand rather than a backhand, or vice versa.
- 6Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see run, around.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how run around appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I don't want to run around all week getting everything ready for the holidays.
“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”
Synonyms
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.