Meaning & use
ladder rung
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
One of the horizontal bars that a person stands on when climbing a ladder.
Grammar: Countable: say 'a ladder rung' or 'two ladder rungs'; the plural adds -s.
Patterns
- a ladder rung
- the top/bottom rung of a ladder
- stand on a ladder rung
He put his foot on the lowest ladder rung and started to climb.
One of the ladder rungs was cracked, so we did not use the ladder.
She gripped the ladder rung tightly while her friend held the base steady.
nouncountablefigurative
A level or step in a process, system, or hierarchy that someone moves through.
Grammar: Countable and usually used figuratively with words like 'next', 'top', or 'first'.
Patterns
- the next rung on the ladder
- the bottom rung of something
- climb the rungs of something
That job was the first rung on his ladder to a career in banking.
Many workers start on the bottom rung and slowly move up.
Winning the local contest was the next rung for the young singer.
Word forms
| plural | ladder rungs |
|---|
Common combinations
- the bottom rung
- He started at the bottom rung of the company and worked his way up.
- the top rung
- She reached the top rung of the ladder and stepped onto the roof.
- a missing rung
- A missing rung made the old ladder dangerous to use.
- grip a rung
- Grip each rung firmly as you climb.
- slip on a rung
- His wet shoe slipped on the metal rung.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: ladder rung or wrung?
ladder rung vs wrung
'Wrung' is the past tense of 'wring' (to twist and squeeze something), while 'rung' is the bar you stand on. They sound the same in many accents.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'ladder rung' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A ladder rung is the bar you stand on, so climbing onto the third one fits. Option 1 confuses it with 'wrung', the past tense of 'wring'; option 2 describes a whole ladder, not a bar; and option 3 uses the phrase as if it meant a tool you buy for painting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ladder rung”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.