run someone ragged
/ˈɹʌn ˌsʌmwʌn ˈɹæɡɪd/
"run-someone-ragged" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“run someone ragged” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 18
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To exhaust; to demand excessive effort or work from somebody.
Corpus desk
Index EN-run-someone-ragged · run someone ragged · English
run someone ragged · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 18 letters
- VOW-7 7 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 someone ragged |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɹʌn ˌsʌmwʌn ˈɹæɡɪd/ |
| Letters | 18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “run someone ragged” in English
Rare enough to double-check
run someone ragged is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɹʌn ˌsʌmwʌn ˈɹæɡɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To exhaust; to demand excessive effort or work from somebody.".
No misspelling variants are generated for run someone ragged in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From run + ragged (“exhausted, tired, run down”). The correct English form is run someone ragged, spelled R-U-N- -S-O-M-E-O-N-E- -R-A-G-G-E-D.
Definition
- 1To exhaust; to demand excessive effort or work from somebody.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how run someone ragged appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
They’ve been running him ragged trying to keep up with the demand for new features.
A little man by modern-day goon-basketball standards, the five-foot ten-inch speedster [Ralph Beard] handles bigger opponents by running them ragged.
Etymology
From run + ragged (“exhausted, tired, run down”).
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.