rhubarb
/ˈɹuːbɑːb/
"rhubarb" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rhubarb” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,205. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #30,205
- frequency rank, English
- 3,094
- “R” headwords
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any plant of the genus Rheum, especially Rheum rhabarbarum, having large leaves and long green or reddish acidic leafstalks that are edible, in particular when cooked (although the leaves are mildl...
Corpus desk
Index EN-rhubarb · rhubarb · English
rhubarb · rank #30,205 · 11 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #30,205
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-MID 11 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,094
- PHOTO-FINISH Rhonda
Nearest frequency peer: Rhonda (-1 rank slots)
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Rank peers near misspelling magnet “rhubarb”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- resentful
resentful
69,799 corpus weight
- rewatch
rewatch
69,798 corpus weight
- Rhonda
Rhonda
69,797 corpus weight
- rhubarb
rhubarb
69,796 corpus weight
- Riverdale
Riverdale
69,795 corpus weight
- romanticism
romanticism
69,794 corpus weight
What this shows “rhubarb” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | rhubarb |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹuːbɑːb/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #30,205 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rhubarb”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 11 spelling variants around rhubarb (IPA /ˈɹuːbɑːb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,205 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for rhubarb, with forms such as "hrubarb", "rhbuarb", and "rhhubarb". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rubarbe, from Anglo-Norman reubarbe (modern French rhubarbe), from Late Latin reubarbarum, rheubarbarum, rubarbera, rybarba, probably from Koine Greek ῥῆον βάρβαρον (rhêon bárbaron), from ῥῆον (rhêon, “rhubarb”) + Ancient Greek βάρβαρον … The correct English form is rhubarb, spelled R-H-U-B-A-R-B.
Definition
- 1Any plant of the genus Rheum, especially Rheum rhabarbarum, having large leaves and long green or reddish acidic leafstalks that are edible, in particular when cooked (although the leaves are mildly poisonous).
- 2The leafstalks of common rhubarb or garden rhubarb (usually known as Rheum × hybridum), which are long, fleshy, often pale red, and with a tart taste, used as a food ingredient; they are frequently stewed with sugar and made into jam or used in crumbles, pies, etc.
- 3The dried rhizome and roots of Rheum palmatum (Chinese rhubarb) or Rheum officinale (Tibetan rhubarb), from China, used as a laxative and purgative.
- 4A Royal Air Force World War II code name for operations by aircraft (fighters and fighter-bombers) involving low-level flight to seek opportunistic targets.
- 5A ditch alongside a road or highway.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how rhubarb appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
If every the cultivation of Rhubarb in this kingdom becomes ſo extenſive as to ſuperſede the neceſſity of its importation; to the Society for the promotion of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, will the community be indebted for an advantage, the magnitude and importance of which cannot be too highly appreciated. From whatever cauſe, which it is unneceſſar…
[page 265] In addition to the qualities of the rhubarb above mentioned, it is allowed by all medical men to make one of the most cooling, wholesome, and delicious tarts sent to table; many persons prefer it indeed either to green gooseberries or apples. In the early part of the season the stalks of rhubarb are cut up and mixed with these fruits; with the…
Etymology
From Middle English rubarbe, from Anglo-Norman reubarbe (modern French rhubarbe), from Late Latin reubarbarum, rheubarbarum, rubarbera, rybarba, probably from Koine Greek ῥῆον βάρβαρον (rhêon bárbaron), from ῥῆον (rhêon, “rhubarb”) + Ancient Greek βάρβαρον (bárbaron), neuter of βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign; barbaric”) (English barbarian). There is also a Medieval Latin variant rabarbarum, which appears to be influenced by Ancient Greek ῥᾶ (rhâ, “rhubarb”), and gave rise to some of the forms in modern languages. The Ancient Greek variant term appears to have been folk-etymologically influenced by Ancient Greek Ῥᾶ (Rhâ, “the River Volga”), which is in the region from which the plant came to the Mediterranean. The ultimate origin of the Ancient Greek terms is, however, Proto-Iranian *(h)rabā́š (“rhubarb, fennel”). The word is cognate with Catalan ruibarbre, Italian rabarbaro, Dutch rabarber, German Rhabarber, Old Occitan reubarbe, Portuguese ruibarbo, Spanish ruibarbo.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- hrubarb
- rhbuarb
- rhhubarb
- rhuabrb
- rhubabr
- rhubarbb
- rhubarrb
- rhubbarb
- rhubrab
- rrhubarb
- ruhbarb
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rhubarb - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "rhubarb", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).