Right vs. Rite – What’s the Gist?
Give a nominal glance at these two words, and you might think they are interchangeable. You might even be tempted to use the word rite as an informal abbreviation for right.
Resist. Because right and rite have entirely different meanings
- Right functions as different parts of speech.
- Rite is a noun, meaning something ceremonial.
How to Use Right in a Sentence
Right definition: First, right is a modifier, acting as either an adjective or an adverb. When functioning as an adjective, it means righteous, or in accordance with what is just and proper, suitable or appropriate. As an adverb, it shows an exact location or position, or a directionally straight path.
For example:
- The alleged behavior of the defendant suggested that the amount for bail was right. (Adjective)
- During the baseball game, the umpire made the right call. (Adjective)
- After playing at a friend’s house, the little girl was instructed to go right home. (Adverb)
As stated previously, right has some other usage functions. The noun means something as complex as the combined qualities that reflect moral propriety, or it denotes something as simple as the right hand itself.
As a transitive verb, the word right means to do justice, to redress injuries, or to restore something to the proper state.
For example:
- She had the right to a fair trial and access to free legal counsel. (Noun)
- At the beginning of the match, the crowd favorite threw a punch with his right. (Noun)
- The governor righted justice by commuting the sentence of a wrongly convicted person. (Past Tense Verb)
By the way, a common mistake comes up with the word right. It is nonstandard English to use the word alright when meaning that everything is all right. You need two words to express this idea.
Think of it this way, all right is two word just like the phrase all wrong is. You’d never use the term alwrong.
In any case, as you can see, the word right is a very versatile word, functioning as several different parts of speech.
How to Use Rite in a Sentence
Rite definition: Rite has a more direct definition. It is a noun that means to have a prescribed form that dictates the words or actions for a particular type of ceremony. It also means the liturgy of a church or group of churches.
For example:
- As the parishioner lay on the bed, the priest was close by to administer the last rites. (Noun)
- Getting a driver’s license as an adolescent is often considered a rite of passage into adulthood. (Noun)
- Many Christian churches regard marriage, baptism, and communion as sacred rites. (Noun)
Ultimately, the meaning of rite connects with the idea of a ceremonial action or initiation.
Outside Examples of Right vs. Rite
- People deserve humane treatment and a fair shot at their legal right to asylum. –The Star-Ledger
- If you love and admire Lincoln, you’ll meet him up close and personal, right on the muddy streets of Washington, surrounded by his endless troubles. –The New York Times
- Acquiring a set of china isn’t the rite of passage it was decades ago. Some people still collect it, but nowadays it might not even end up on a couple’s wedding registry. –Honolulu Star-Advertiser
- Rejection without explanation has long been an annual rite of passage for high school seniors like Karoline Jimenez seeking limited spots at elite four-year colleges. –The Washington Post
Phrases That Use Right and Rite
There are some phrases that use the word right or rite, including:
The price is right: The cost of a particular good falls within the correct price range.
- Because the price is right, she purchased the couch today instead of waiting for payday.
Right of way: A driver or a pedestrian has the legal right to proceed first.
- When driving through the traffic roundabout, the driver inside the circle has the right of way.
Rite of passage: A ritual associated with something.
- Drinking alcohol on his twenty-first birthday was a rite of passage that his college friends expected him to make.
Rite of spring: An action or initiation that occurs during spring.
- Picking daffodils after the April rains was a rite of spring for the girl.
How to Remember These Words
While it may be tempting to use the spelling of rite as a shortened version of right, resist the urge. A good way to remember the difference is to think about the opposite word of right, which is the word wrong. Both have five letters.
The word rite has four letters, but you would never spell the word wrong as rong (which is also four letters, by the way).
For example:
- Right and wrong are contrasting ideas and both have five letters.
- Write the word for a ceremonial act as r i t e, which has four letters.
Article Summary
Is right or rite correct? Contrary to what you might think, right and rite are not substitutable. Right has a moral connotation, and rite has a ritualistic meaning.
Furthermore, to use rite for right is wrong.
- Right is an adjective, adverb, noun or verb, depending upon its meaning in a sentence.
- Rite is a noun.