# rung

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɹʌŋ/ · frequency rank #22,497

## Definitions
1. A crosspiece forming a step of a ladder; a round.
2. A crosspiece between legs of a chair.
3. A position in a hierarchy.
4. A floor timber in a ship.
5. One of the stakes of a cart; a spar; a heavy staff.
6. One of the radial handles projecting from the rim of a steering wheel.
7. One of the pins or trundles of a lantern wheel.

## Etymology
From Middle English rung, from Old English hrung, from Proto-West Germanic *hrungu, from Proto-Germanic *hrungō. Cognate with Dutch rong (“pole, stanchion”), German Runge (“stake, pole, stanchion”), Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌰 (hrugga, “a staff”).

## Easily confused with
- **rut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-rut)
- **Rus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-rus)
- **runs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-runs)
- **rush** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-rush)
- **ruth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-ruth)
- **rust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-rust)
- **Russ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-russ)
- **ruse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-ruse)
- **rusk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-rusk)
- **runny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rung-vs-runny)
- **RN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rn-vs-rung)
- **run** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/run-vs-rung)
- **ran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ran-vs-rung)
- **Ron** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ron-vs-rung)
- **rub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rub-vs-rung)
- **rig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rig-vs-rung)
- **rug** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rug-vs-rung)
- **reg** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reg-vs-rung)
- **RNA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rna-vs-rung)
- **rum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rum-vs-rung)

## Common misspellings (6)
`rnug`, `rrung`, `rugn`, `rungg`, `runng`, `urng`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rung