# rote vs rue

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### rote
*noun · IPA /ɹəʊt/ · frequency rank #32,570*
Mechanical routine; a fixed, habitual, repetitive, or mechanical course of procedure.

### rue
*noun · IPA /ɹuː/ · frequency rank #13,801*
Sorrow; repentance; regret.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rote-vs-rue