Ridiculous vs. Rediculous: Which One Is Correct?

There’s no debate here — only one of these is an actual English word.

Ridiculous → ✔ correct (means “absurd,” “silly,” “laughable”)
Rediculous → ✘ incorrect (common misspelling)

Let’s break it down.

1. Ridiculous

Meaning

Ridiculous means silly, absurd, unreasonable, or laughable.
It comes from the Latin ridere meaning “to laugh.”

Examples (10 total)

1. That idea is completely ridiculous.
2. The price of the ticket was ridiculous.
3. She looked ridiculous in that oversized hat.
4. The excuse he gave was ridiculous.
5. They had a ridiculous amount of homework.
6. His behavior at the party was ridiculous.
7. The movie was so ridiculous it was funny.
8. This rule is absolutely ridiculous.
9. He made a ridiculous mistake.
10. The whole situation was ridiculous.

🧠 Tip:
Think of “ridicule” — same root, same spelling pattern.

2. Rediculous

Meaning

Rediculous is not a word in English.
It simply looks right to some people because they connect it with “red” or misremember the syllable.

Use it nowhere, ever.

Examples

❌ Rediculous amount of noise
❌ That’s rediculous!
❌ What a rediculous plan

Correct all of these to ridiculous.

3. Quick Comparison Table

4. How to Remember

👉 “Ridiculous” comes from ridicule, not “red.”
👉 If you can laugh (ridicule) at it, it's ridiculous.

Memory trick:
Ri-di-cu-lous — break it into four easy chunks.

5. Common Mistakes

❌ Adding an extra “e” after “r”
✔ Only spell it ridiculous

❌ Thinking “rediculous” looks more natural
✔ It's 100% incorrect in every context

❌ Using the wrong form in professional writing
✔ Always double-check — spellcheck won’t always catch near-homophones

Writing More Naturally

Misspelling words like ridiculous can make your writing look less polished. If you want natural, human-like flow and fewer errors, an humanize AI text tool can clean up phrasing and catch tricky mistakes automatically.

FAQs

1. Is “rediculous” ever correct?

No — it has never been a correct spelling.

2. Why do people spell it “rediculous”?

Because the sound “rih” can be misheard as “reh.”

3. What’s the root word?

Ridicule, meaning “to mock or laugh at.”

4. Is “ridiculous” formal or informal?

Both — it works in any context.

Practice: Choose the Correct Spelling

(Answers at the end.)

1. That outfit looks __________.
2. The price is absolutely __________.
3. Don’t be __________ — we can fix this.
4. His excuse was so __________ that no one believed it.
5. This weather is __________.

Answers

1. ridiculous
2. ridiculous
3. ridiculous
4. ridiculous
5. ridiculous