runt

/ɹʌnt/

//ɹʌnt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"runt" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“runt” is uncommon English (frequency #55,076 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,076
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The smallest animal of a litter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-runt · runt · English

runt · rank #55,076 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,076
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH RSPB

Nearest frequency peer: RSPB (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “runt”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “runt” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for runt
PropertyValue
Headwordrunt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹʌnt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#55,076
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “runt” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).runtfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “RSPB” (#55,075), “Saha” (#55,077), “RPA” (#55,073). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “runt” is #55,076. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

runt is uncommon English at frequency #55,076 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɹʌnt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

runt doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: The OED classifies this word as "of obscure origin". Some see a connection to Middle Dutch runt (“ox”), but the OED considers this to be unlikely. Possibly connected to Icelandic hrotti meaning "brute". The correct English form is runt, spelled R-U-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The smallest animal of a litter.
  2. 2
    The smallest child in the family.
  3. 3
    Undersized or stunted plant, animal or person.
  4. 4
    An uninfluential or unimportant person; a nobody.
  5. 5
    An Ethernet packet that does not meet the medium's minimum packet size of 64 bytes.
  6. 6
    A single word (or portion of a hyphenated word) that appears as the last line of a paragraph.
  7. 7
    A breed of pigeon related to the carrier pigeon.
  8. 8
    A hardened stem or stalk of a plant.
  9. 9
    A bow.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how runt appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Sometimes, as we have seen, one member of a litter is a runt, much smaller than the rest. He is unable to fight for food as strongly as the rest, and runts often die. We have considered the conditions under which it would actually pay a mother to let a runt die.
  2. the runt of the family

Etymology

The OED classifies this word as "of obscure origin". Some see a connection to Middle Dutch runt (“ox”), but the OED considers this to be unlikely. Possibly connected to Icelandic hrotti meaning "brute".

This word in other languages

benjamín(Español)avorton(Français)Zwerg(Deutsch)

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

How do you spell "runt"?
"runt" is spelled R-U-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹʌnt/.
What does "runt" mean?
As a noun, "runt" means: The smallest animal of a litter.
How do you pronounce "runt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "runt" is /ɹʌnt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "runt"?
The OED classifies this word as "of obscure origin". Some see a connection to Middle Dutch runt (“ox”), but the OED considers this to be unlikely. Possibly connected to Icelandic hrotti meaning "brute". See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "runt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

RSPB#55,075Saha#55,077Salk#55,079Ries#55,066

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list