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 May 6, 2026) - To be very busy doing many different things.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | run around |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “run around” sits in English frequency
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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “run around”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-U-N- -A-R-O-U-N-D - 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.