Which to use
“rob” is a verb and “roux” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,979
- “rob” frequency rank
- #28,702
- “roux” frequency rank
- 32681
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rob | roux |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To steal from, especially using force or violence. | A mixture of fat (usually butter) and flour used to thicken sauces and stews. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rob and roux apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
rob and roux form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32681, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rob is recorded at frequency rank #3,979, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɔb/. roux is at rank #28,702, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹuː/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 32681, this pair ranks #335,804 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rob" and "roux" be used interchangeably?
Remembering rob vs roux
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “rob”; for a noun, it's “roux”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rob” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable