4 letter words starting with r
Ready to embark on a riveting romp through the realm of four-letter words that start with R? Whether you’re a word game enthusiast or simply love expanding your vocabulary, this list is packed with punchy, playful, and practical terms that’ll rev up your linguistic prowess. Let’s dive right in!
| Word | Points | Definition | Sentence example |
|---|---|---|---|
| real | 4 | being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something | - |
| room | 6 | space for movement | room to pass |
| read | 5 | have or contain a certain wording or form | The passage reads as follows |
| rest | 4 | sit, as on a branch | - |
| road | 5 | an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation | - |
| rock | 10 | move back and forth or sideways | the ship was rocking |
| ride | 5 | a journey in a vehicle (usually an automobile) | - |
| rich | 9 | marked by richness and fullness of flavor | a rich ruby port |
| ring | 5 | the sound of a bell ringing | the distinctive ring of the church bell |
| rain | 4 | anything happening rapidly or in quick successive | a rain of bullets |
| roll | 4 | a list of names | his name was struck off the rolls |
| race | 6 | compete in a race | let's race and see who gets there first |
| risk | 8 | the probability of becoming infected given that exposure to an infectious agent has occurred | - |
| rule | 4 | (linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice | - |
| rent | 4 | grant use or occupation of under a term of contract | - |
| rose | 4 | any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses | - |
| roof | 7 | an upper limit on what is allowed | there was a roof on salaries |
| rush | 7 | a sudden forceful flow | - |
| rice | 6 | English lyricist who frequently worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber (born in 1944) | - |
| rise | 4 | get up and out of bed | - |
| role | 4 | the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group | play its role |
| ruin | 4 | deprive of virginity | - |
| rate | 4 | assign a rank or rating to | The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide |
| rude | 5 | socially incorrect in behavior | - |
| rare | 4 | marked by an uncommon quality; especially superlative or extreme of its kind | what is so rare as a day in June |
| rape | 6 | the crime of forcing a person to submit to sexual intercourse against his or her will | - |
| rope | 6 | street names for flunitrazepan | - |
| rick | 10 | twist suddenly so as to sprain | - |
| rats | 4 | - | - |
| rage | 5 | something that is desired intensely | his rage for fame destroyed him |
| ruby | 9 | of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies | - |
| root | 4 | a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes | - |
| rear | 4 | located in or toward the back or rear | the chair's rear legs |
| ruth | 7 | a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others | - |
| raid | 5 | search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on | The police raided the crack house |
| rely | 7 | have faith or confidence in | - |
| rang | 5 | - | - |
| riot | 4 | a joke that seems extremely funny | - |
| rank | 8 | assign a rank or rating to | how would you rank these students? |
| rode | 5 | - | - |
| rack | 10 | an instrument of torture that stretches or disjoints or mutilates victims | - |
| raja | 11 | a prince or king in India | - |
| reed | 5 | United States journalist who reported on the October Revolution from Petrograd in 1917; founded the Communist Labor Party in America in 1919; is buried in the Kremlin in Moscow (1887-1920) | - |
| robe | 6 | outerwear consisting of a long flowing garment used for official or ceremonial occasions | - |
| rash | 7 | marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences | a rash attempt to climb Mount Everest |
| rudy | 8 | - | - |
| roar | 4 | utter words loudly and forcefully | `Get out of here,' he roared |
| reef | 7 | a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese | - |
| rail | 4 | a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports | - |
| ripe | 6 | far along in time | a ripe old age |
| rory | 7 | - | - |
| roam | 6 | move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment | The gypsies roamed the woods |
| raft | 7 | (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent | - |
| reel | 4 | an American country dance which starts with the couples facing each other in two lines | - |
| rust | 4 | the formation of reddish-brown ferric oxides on iron by low-temperature oxidation in the presence of water | - |
| reno | 4 | a city in western Nevada at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains; known for gambling casinos and easy divorce and remarriage | - |
| ramp | 8 | North American perennial having a slender bulb and whitish flowers | - |
| rags | 5 | - | - |
| rhea | 7 | larger of two tall fast-running flightless birds similar to ostriches but three-toed; found from Brazil to Patagonia | - |
| rift | 7 | a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions) | - |
| rite | 4 | any customary observance or practice | - |
| rosy | 7 | having the pinkish flush of health | - |
| rake | 8 | examine hastily | - |
| roma | 6 | capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire | - |
| rave | 7 | talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner | - |
| rani | 4 | (the feminine of raja) a Hindu princess or the wife of a raja | - |
| runt | 4 | disparaging terms for small people | - |
| reap | 6 | gather, as of natural products | - |
| rink | 8 | building that contains a surface for ice skating or roller skating | - |
| rung | 5 | one of the crosspieces that form the steps of a ladder | - |
| ritz | 13 | Swiss hotelier who created a chain of elegant hotels (1850-1918) | - |
| redo | 5 | make new | - |
| riff | 10 | look through a book or other written material | - |
| reek | 8 | be wet with sweat or blood, as of one's face | - |
| raff | 10 | - | - |
| rook | 8 | common gregarious Old World bird about the size and color of the American crow | - |
| rand | 5 | a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese | - |
| rolf | 7 | Norse chieftain who became the first duke of Normandy (860-931) | - |
| rump | 8 | the part of an animal that corresponds to the human buttocks | - |
| reis | 4 | - | - |
| raki | 8 | - | - |
| rein | 4 | stop or check by or as if by a pull at the reins | He reined in his horses in front of the post office |
| ruse | 4 | a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture) | - |
| ruff | 10 | (card games) the act of taking a trick with a trump when unable to follow suit | - |
| rana | 4 | type genus of the Ranidae | - |
| rant | 4 | talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner | - |
| rife | 7 | most frequent or common | - |
| racy | 9 | marked by richness and fullness of flavor | - |
| rami | 6 | - | - |
| rima | 6 | a narrow elongated opening or fissure between two symmetrical parts | - |
| rigg | 6 | - | - |
| rube | 6 | a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture | - |
| raya | 7 | - | - |
| roan | 4 | a horse having a brownish coat thickly sprinkled with white or gray | - |
| rune | 4 | any character from an ancient Germanic alphabet used in Scandinavia from the 3rd century to the Middle Ages | each rune had its own magical significance |
| raga | 5 | - | - |
| raze | 13 | tear down so as to make flat with the ground | - |
| rout | 4 | defeat disastrously | - |
| rota | 4 | a roster of names showing the order in which people should perform certain duties | - |
| romp | 8 | gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement | - |
| rusk | 8 | slice of sweet raised bread baked again until it is brown and hard and crisp | - |
| roux | 11 | a mixture of fat and flour heated and used as a basis for sauces | - |
| roil | 4 | make turbid by stirring up the sediments of | - |
| ream | 6 | a large quantity of written matter | he wrote reams and reams |
| rind | 5 | the natural outer covering of food (usually removed before eating) | - |
| rote | 4 | memorization by repetition | - |
| rath | 7 | - | - |
| rile | 4 | make turbid by stirring up the sediments of | - |
| rata | 4 | - | - |
| rend | 5 | tear or be torn violently | - |
| roti | 4 | - | - |
| razz | 22 | harass with persistent criticism or carping | His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie |
| ruck | 10 | a crowd especially of ordinary or undistinguished persons or things | his brilliance raised him above the ruck |
| riza | 13 | - | - |
| roto | 4 | - | - |
| rove | 7 | move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment | - |
| rime | 6 | ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside) | - |
| redd | 6 | - | - |
| rato | 4 | - | - |
| ropy | 9 | (British informal) very poor in quality | - |
| rapt | 6 | feeling great rapture or delight | - |
| rive | 7 | separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument | - |
| rill | 4 | a small stream | - |
| rudd | 6 | European freshwater fish resembling the roach | - |
| reen | 4 | - | - |
| rego | 5 | - | - |
| reck | 10 | - | - |
| rone | 4 | - | - |
| roue | 4 | a dissolute man in fashionable society | - |
| rete | 4 | a network of intersecting blood vessels or intersecting nerves or intersecting lymph vessels | - |
| rood | 5 | representation of the cross on which Jesus died | - |
| rabi | 6 | - | - |
| raia | 4 | - | - |
| rede | 5 | give advice to | - |
| ronz | 13 | - | - |
| roid | 5 | - | - |
| rohe | 7 | - | - |
| riad | 5 | - | - |
| refi | 7 | - | - |
| ravs | 7 | - | - |
| ragu | 5 | - | - |
| rudi | 5 | - | - |
| ryus | 7 | - | - |
| risp | 6 | - | - |
| robs | 6 | - | - |
| roch | 9 | - | - |
| rocs | 6 | - | - |
| rits | 4 | - | - |
| ritt | 4 | - | - |
| riva | 7 | - | - |
| rivo | 7 | - | - |
| rods | 5 | - | - |
| roed | 5 | - | - |
| roes | 4 | - | - |
| roms | 6 | - | - |
| rong | 5 | - | - |
| ront | 4 | - | - |
| roin | 4 | - | - |
| roji | 11 | - | - |
| roke | 8 | - | - |
| roks | 8 | - | - |
| roky | 11 | - | - |
| revs | 7 | - | - |
| ricy | 9 | - | - |
| rids | 5 | - | - |
| riel | 4 | the basic unit of money in Cambodia; equal to 100 sen | - |
| riem | 6 | - | - |
| rews | 7 | - | - |
| rhos | 7 | - | - |
| rhus | 7 | deciduous or evergreen shrubs and shrubby trees of temperate and subtropical North America, South Africa, eastern Asia and northeastern Australia; usually limited to nonpoisonous sumacs (see genus Toxicodendron) | - |
| rial | 4 | the basic unit of money in Oman | - |
| rias | 4 | - | - |
| riba | 6 | - | - |
| ribs | 6 | - | - |
| rifs | 7 | - | - |
| rins | 4 | - | - |
| ripp | 8 | - | - |
| rips | 6 | - | - |
| ript | 6 | - | - |
| rine | 4 | - | - |
| rigs | 5 | - | - |
| rims | 6 | - | - |
| rimu | 6 | tall New Zealand timber tree | - |
| rimy | 9 | covered with frost | - |
| rukh | 11 | - | - |
| rurp | 6 | - | - |
| ruru | 4 | - | - |
| rusa | 4 | - | - |
| runs | 4 | - | - |
| ruly | 7 | neat and tidy | a small ruly beard |
| rume | 6 | - | - |
| rums | 6 | - | - |
| rund | 5 | - | - |
| ruts | 4 | - | - |
| ryal | 7 | - | - |
| ryas | 7 | - | - |
| ryes | 7 | - | - |
| ryfe | 10 | - | - |
| ryke | 11 | - | - |
| rynd | 8 | - | - |
| ryot | 7 | - | - |
| rype | 9 | - | - |
| roon | 4 | - | - |
| rotl | 4 | a unit of weight used in some Moslem countries near the Mediterranean; varies between one and five pounds | - |
| rots | 4 | - | - |
| rost | 4 | - | - |
| roop | 6 | - | - |
| roos | 4 | - | - |
| rore | 4 | - | - |
| rort | 4 | - | - |
| roul | 4 | - | - |
| roum | 6 | - | - |
| roup | 6 | - | - |
| ruds | 5 | - | - |
| rued | 5 | - | - |
| ruer | 4 | - | - |
| rues | 4 | - | - |
| ruga | 5 | (anatomy) a fold or wrinkle or crease | rugae of the stomach |
| rucs | 6 | - | - |
| rows | 7 | - | - |
| rowt | 7 | - | - |
| rubs | 6 | - | - |
| rugs | 5 | - | - |
| raca | 6 | - | - |
| ragi | 5 | East Indian cereal grass whose seed yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staple in the Orient | - |
| rahs | 7 | - | - |
| raik | 8 | - | - |
| ragg | 6 | - | - |
| rach | 9 | - | - |
| rade | 5 | - | - |
| rads | 5 | - | - |
| rais | 4 | - | - |
| rean | 4 | - | - |
| rees | 4 | - | - |
| refs | 7 | - | - |
| reft | 7 | - | - |
| reds | 5 | - | - |
| rebs | 6 | - | - |
| recs | 6 | - | - |
| regs | 5 | - | - |
| rehs | 7 | - | - |
| reif | 7 | - | - |
| reny | 7 | - | - |
| reos | 4 | - | - |
| repo | 6 | - | - |
| repp | 8 | a fabric with prominent rounded crosswise ribs | - |
| reps | 6 | - | - |
| resh | 7 | the 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet | - |
| rens | 4 | - | - |
| reik | 8 | - | - |
| reke | 8 | - | - |
| rems | 6 | - | - |
| renk | 8 | - | - |
| rets | 4 | - | - |
| rait | 4 | - | - |
| raps | 6 | - | - |
| raku | 8 | - | - |
| rale | 4 | a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders) | - |
| rams | 6 | - | - |
| rark | 8 | - | - |
| rase | 4 | tear down so as to make flat with the ground | - |
| rawn | 7 | - | - |
| raws | 7 | - | - |
| rays | 7 | - | - |
| reak | 8 | - | - |
| raun | 4 | - | - |
| rasp | 6 | uttering in an irritated tone | - |
| rast | 4 | - | - |
| ratu | 4 | - | - |
Step into the dynamic world of words where brevity meets charm, and language flexes its phonetic muscles with four-letter wonders starting with the letter "R". These petite linguistic gems often pack a punch, influencing conversations with their succinctness and versatility. Imagine the intriguing sound of “roar” echoing through a jungle or the gentle “rain” tapping on your window. As we delve deeper into this realm, prepare to be captivated by the unique pronunciation quirks and the delightful roles these words play in our everyday communications.
About Four Letter Words Starting with R
The letter "R" holds a prestigious position in the English alphabet, known for its rolling resonance that can add depth and vibrancy to any word it graces. In four-letter words, "R" can either lead with authority or end with a flourish, creating varied sounds and meanings. For instance, consider how the firm start of "ramp" suggests movement and ascension, while the soft ending of "purr" evokes comfort and contentment. These words often carry an active or emotive tone, making them indispensable in storytelling and daily dialogues.
In terms of frequency, "R" is a common letter, appearing frequently in English vocabulary. Its presence can alter a word's pronunciation significantly, as seen in "ring," with its sharp onset followed by a lingering sound. The strategic placement of "R" within a word can shift its meaning or add layers of complexity. The transition from "rate" to "rat" demonstrates how a single letter can swing the context from evaluating worth to identifying a small mammal. This duality makes exploring four-letter words beginning with "R" particularly fascinating, as they often surprise us with their diversity and impact.
Popular Word Examples
In this section, we explore some of the most popular four-letter words that begin with "R", celebrated for their everyday utility and charm.
Roam
- Definition: To move about or travel aimlessly or unsystematically, especially over a wide area.
- Example in a Sentence: "They loved to roam through the countryside on sunny afternoons."
- Fun Fact: The word "roam" originates from the Old English "rāman," which shares roots with the word "ramble."
Ripe
- Definition: Fully developed or matured, especially in terms of fruit being ready for consumption.
- Example in a Sentence: "The ripe tomatoes were perfect for making sauce."
- Fun Fact: The phrase "ripe old age" is often used to describe someone who has lived to an advanced age, emphasizing maturity and wisdom.
Rude
- Definition: Offensively impolite or ill-mannered.
- Example in a Sentence: "His rude comments upset everyone at the meeting."
- Fun Fact: Despite its negative connotations today, "rude" originally meant "unrefined" or "natural" in Middle English.
Rush
- Definition: To move with urgent haste.
- Example in a Sentence: "She had to rush to catch the early train."
- Fun Fact: The term "gold rush" originated from the massive migration of prospectors to places like California and Australia in the 19th century.
Rung
- Definition: A horizontal support on a ladder for a person's foot.
- Example in a Sentence: "He climbed each rung carefully as he ascended the ladder."
- Fun Fact: The phrase "climbing the corporate ladder" metaphorically uses "rung" to describe steps in career advancement.
High-Scoring Scrabble Examples
For Scrabble enthusiasts, these high-scoring four-letter words starting with "R" can give you the edge you need to win.
| Word | Scrabble Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Raze | 13 | To completely destroy a building, town, etc. |
| Rift | 7 | A crack, split, or break in something |
| Rink | 8 | An enclosed area for ice skating |
| Rake | 8 | A tool used to gather leaves |
| Rote | 4 | Mechanical or habitual repetition of something |
Popular 5-Letter Words for Wordle
For Wordle aficionados, here are five-letter words starting with "R" that can make your game both challenging and exciting.
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Rinse | Wash (something) with clean water to remove soap |
| Realm | A kingdom; a field or domain of activity or interest |
| Roost | A place where birds regularly settle to rest |
| Reign | Hold royal office; rule as king or queen |
| Refuse | Indicate or show that one is not willing to do something |
Unusual and Rare Word Examples
Explore the lesser-known corners of the English language with these rare four-letter words starting with "R".
Rife
- Definition: Of common occurrence; widespread, especially of something undesirable or harmful.
- Interesting Fact: The term is derived from Old Norse "rīfr," which means "abundant."
- Example in a Sentence: "Speculation was rife about the new project."
Rook
- Definition: A type of bird belonging to the crow family, known for its black plumage and intelligence.
- Interesting Fact: In chess, a rook is also a piece, symbolizing a tower or castle.
- Example in a Sentence: "The rook cawed loudly from the treetop."
Rill
- Definition: A small brook or stream.
- Interesting Fact: "Rill" comes from the Low German word "rille," sharing its etymology with "rivulet."
- Example in a Sentence: "They followed the rill until it joined a larger river."
Rial
- Definition: The currency of Iran, Oman, and Yemen.
- Interesting Fact: "Rial" has been the currency name in Persia since the 18th century.
- Example in a Sentence: "He exchanged his dollars for rials before traveling."
Rove
- Definition: To wander without definite destination or purpose.
- Interesting Fact: It shares its roots with the nautical term "roving," which refers to a sailor's lifestyle.
- Example in a Sentence: "Her mind began to rove during the long lecture."
Final Words
Four-letter words beginning with "R" are a testament to the richness and versatility of the English language. Whether they're used in casual conversation, strategic games, or literary exploration, these words bring a distinctive flair and fascinating history to our linguistic repertoire. Keep exploring, and let these words elevate your communication with their robust resonance and playful brevity!
