Ragged is an adjective describing something that is torn, frayed, or uneven in texture or edge; it can also describe rough, uneven, or irregular conditions or behavior. In general usage, it conveys a sense of being worn, damaged, or irregular, often implying care or conditions lacking smoothness or polish. Contexts range from physical objects to abstract conditions like a ragged voice or ragged shoes.
"The ragged edge of the old blanket frayed under touch."
"Her ragged breathing gave away how hard she had trained."
"They walked across the ragged field, boots catching on uneven tufts of grass."
"The team’s ragged performance showed they hadn’t recovered from the previous game."
Ragged comes from the noun rag, derived from the Old English ragga, related to Germanic roots meaning a strip or piece torn away. The modern adjective sense—describing something worn, torn, or irregular—emerged in Middle English as ragged meaning “torn into rags” and gradually extended metaphorically to describe irregularities in behavior or conditions. The word has cognates in several Germanic languages, all centered on torn fabric or irregularity. First recorded usages in English date from the late medieval period, with early examples describing clothing or fabric in a worn or tattered state. Over centuries, ragged broadened to describe non-physical irregularities (performance, breathing, edges) and retained strong connotations of roughness and lack of neatness or order. In modern usage, ragged often conveys a sense of harshness, precarity, or battle-worn character, and appears in both literal and figurative expressions across genres.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Ragged" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Ragged"
-ged sounds
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Ragged is pronounced with two syllables: /ˈræg.ɪd/ in US and UK English. The first syllable carries main stress: RAG-, followed by a short -ed as /ɪd/ in many dialects. For most speakers, it sounds like RAG-uhd, with a crisp /æ/ as in cat and a light, quick /ɪd/ endings. In some accents the ending can be closer to /-ɪd/ or /-əd/ depending on the speaker and elision.
Common errors include pronouncing the second syllable as /ɛd/ (RAG-ED with a clear /ɛ/), or flattening the vowel to /æ/ in both syllables (RÆG-ÆD). The most frequent correction is using a short, unstressed /ɪ/ for the second syllable: /ˈræg.ɪd/. Also avoid pronouncing as /ˈreɪ.ɡɪd/ by keeping focus on the hard /g/ after the stressed syllable and avoiding an extra schwa insertion.
In US and UK accents, the first syllable carries primary stress with /æ/; the second syllable uses a short /ɪ/ or a reduced vowel in casual speech. US speakers often have a sharper /ɡ/ and a crisp /d/ ending. UK speakers may slightly reduce the /ə/ or /ɪ/ in fast speech, and Australian speakers frequently produce a broader /æ/ and a softer/droppier ending, sometimes merging syllables in rapid speech. Overall, rhoticity is not a major factor here, but vowel quality and syllable reduction give subtle differences.
The difficulty often lies in the fast, reduced second syllable and the final /d/ cluster after a tense /æ/ vowel. Achieve clarity by isolating /ˈræg/ and ensuring the /ɡ/ is not palatalized, then release into a crisp /ɪd/ or /əd/. The key phonetic challenge is maintaining the short, unstressed vowel in the second syllable while keeping a clean, alveolar /d/ after a lightly released /ɡ/.
Ragged features a stressed first syllable with a strong /æ/ vowel and a brief, near-silent or lightly pronounced second vowel depending on speaker. The “ed” ending often lands as /-ɪd/ or /-əd/. Focus on releasing the /ɡ/ immediately before the /ɪ/ with minimal vowel between; ensure the two syllables are distinct enough in fast speech to avoid blending into 'ragid'.
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