rigour

/ˈɹɪɡə(ɹ)/

//ˈɹɪɡə(ɹ)// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"rigour" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rigour” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,349. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,349
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Severity or strictness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rigour · rigour · English

rigour · rank #43,349 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,349
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rhythmically

Nearest frequency peer: rhythmically (-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 “rigour”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “rigour” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

rigour vs rumour
67% similar
rigour vs rigor
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for rigour
PropertyValue
Headwordrigour
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɪɡə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#43,349
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rigour”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).rigourlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “rhythmically” (#43,348), “Romani” (#43,351), “roomy” (#43,352). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rigour” is #43,349. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around rigour (IPA /ˈɹɪɡə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,349 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for rigour, with forms such as "irgour", "rgiour", and "riggour". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "rumour", "rigor", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rigour, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French rigor, from Latin rigor (“stiffness, rigidity, rigor, cold, harshness”), from rigere (“to be rigid”). Compare French rigueur. The correct English form is rigour, spelled R-I-G-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Severity or strictness.
  2. 2
    Harshness, as of climate.
  3. 3
    A trembling or shivering response.
  4. 4
    Character of being unyielding or inflexible.
  5. 5
    Shrewd questioning.
  6. 6
    Higher level of difficulty.
  7. 7
    Misspelling of rigor (“rigor mortis”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how rigour appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

Etymology

From Middle English rigour, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French rigor, from Latin rigor (“stiffness, rigidity, rigor, cold, harshness”), from rigere (“to be rigid”). Compare French rigueur.

This word in other languages

rigor(Español)rigueur(Français)rigor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • irgour
  • rgiour
  • riggour
  • rigoru
  • rigourr
  • riguor
  • riogur
  • rrigour

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rigour - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

irgour2rgiour2riggour1rigoru2rigourr1riguor2riogur2rrigour1
Edit distance from "rigour"

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

How do you spell "rigour"?
"rigour" is spelled R-I-G-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɪɡə(ɹ)/.
What does "rigour" mean?
As a noun, "rigour" means: Severity or strictness.
What words are commonly confused with "rigour"?
"rigour" is commonly confused with "rumour", "rigor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rigour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rigour" is /ˈɹɪɡə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "rigour"?
From Middle English rigour, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French rigor, from Latin rigor (“stiffness, rigidity, rigor, cold, harshness”), from rigere (“to be rigid”). Compare French rigueur. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "rigour", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Romani#43,351Rowena#43,353Renton#43,340salvia#43,358

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Recife8 variantssigner8 variantspylon8 variantsporky8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list