Rout or route?
rout is a noun meaning “A group or assortment of snails”; route is a noun meaning “A course or way which is traveled or passed”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) route is about 38 times as common as rout.
What is the difference between rout and route?
| rout | route | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Meaning | A group or assortment of snails A group of disorganized things The act of completely defeating an army or other enemy force, causing it to retreat in a disorganized manner; (by extension) in politics, sport, etc.: a… | A course or way which is traveled or passed A regular itinerary of stops, or the path followed between these stops, such as for delivery or passenger transportation To direct or divert along a particular course |
| Example | The rout of the enemy was complete | The route was used so much that it formed a rut |
| Forms | routs | routes |
| Pronunciation | /ɹaʊt/ [ɹʌʊt] /ɹut/ | /ɹuːt/ /ɹʉwt/ /ɹʉːt/ |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words | 47 times per million words |
Sources: rout and route in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of rout and route
rout
- 1
A group or assortment of snails
- 2
The act of completely defeating an army or other enemy force, causing it to retreat in a disorganized manner; (by extension) in politics, sport, etc.: a convincing defeat; a thrashing, a trouncing
The rout of the enemy was complete
- 3
To completely defeat and force into disorderly retreat (an enemy force, opponent in sport, etc.)
- 4
To snore, especially loudly
- 5
ScotlandA loud, resounding noise, especially one made by the sea, thunder, wind, etc.; a roar
- 6
ScotlandOf a person: to say or shout (something) loudly
- 7
ScotlandA lowing or mooing sound by an animal, especially cattle; a bellow, a moo
- 8
ScotlandTo dig or plough (earth or the ground); to till
route
- 1
A course or way which is traveled or passed
The route was used so much that it formed a rut
- 2
To direct or divert along a particular course
All incoming mail was routed through a single office
- 3
Eye dialect spelling of root
- 4
A regular itinerary of stops, or the path followed between these stops, such as for delivery or passenger transportation
We live near the bus route
- 5
to connect two local area networks, thereby forming an internet
- 6
A road or path; often specifically a highway
Follow Route 49 out of town
- 7
To send (information) through a router
- 8
One of multiple methods or approaches to doing something
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, rout or route?
rout appears 1.2 times per million words; route 47 times per million words.
rout 1.2 times per million wordsroute 47 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search rout vs route?
“rout vs route” is searched about 390 times a month on Google and 60 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“route vs rout”, “rout or route”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.