Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

raffle

/ˈɹæfl̩/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.19 in modern English

Syllables: raf-fle
IPA: /ˈɹæfl̩/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A drawing, often held as a fundraiser, in which tickets or chances are sold to win a prize.

noun

A game of dice in which the player who throws three of the same number wins all the stakes.

Obsolete

noun

The system by which cases are assigned to judges in multi-sala courts.

verb

To award something by means of a raffle or random drawing.

Transitive verb

verb

To participate in a raffle.

Intransitive verb

noun

Refuse; rubbish.

Dated; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"He entered a raffle to win a lifetime supply of toothpaste, but he did not win."
"The raffle was a big success—too big, in fact."
"They raffled off four gift baskets."
"to raffle for a watch"
"the oversurviving raffle of half-green things which the gentle winter has suffered to live"

Etymology

From Middle English rafle, from Old French rafle, raffle (“dice game", also "plundering”), from rafler (“to snatch, seize, carry off”), from Frankish *raffolōn, from Proto-Germanic *hrapōną, *hrēpōną (“to scratch, touch, pluck out, snatch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreb(h)-, *(s)kerb(h)- (“to turn, bend, shrink”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Middle Dutch raffel (“dice game”), German raffen (“to snatch away, sweep off”), Old English hreppan (“to touch, treat, attack”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: rafle, *raffolōn, *hrapōną, *(s)kreb(h)-, *(s)ker-

Usage

Inflected Forms

raffles (plural) raffles (present, singular) raffling (participle, present) raffled (participle, past) raffled (past)

Phrases

chook raffle couldn't organise a two-ticket raffle meat raffle raffle sale

Synonyms

raffle off

Rhymes With

baffle raffel saffell falafel snaffle maffle yaffle gaffle jaffle scraffle caffle

Questions

How do you pronounce raffle?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹæfl̩/.
What does raffle mean?: A drawing, often held as a fundraiser, in which tickets or chances are sold to win a prize.
Where does raffle come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce raffle

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “raffle”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹæfl̩/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “raffle” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.