rob

/ɹɔb/

//ɹɔb// verb

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

"rob" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rob” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #3,979) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#3,979
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To steal from, especially using force or violence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rob · rob · English

rob · rank #3,979 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,979
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH risks

Nearest frequency peer: risks (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “rob”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “rob” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

rob vs RS
0% similar
rob vs RT
0% similar
rob vs RP
0% similar

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

Key facts for rob
PropertyValue
Headwordrob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɔb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#3,979
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “rob”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).roblands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “risks” (#3,978), “screaming” (#3,980), “Rio” (#3,977). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rob” is #3,979. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for rob is neighbouring look-alikes ("RS", "RT", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /ɹɔb/. Frequency #3,979 among 3,094 “R” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for rob in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "RS", "RT", "RP", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English robben, from Anglo-Norman robber, from Late Latin raubāre, from Frankish *raubōn (compare Dutch roven) and Old High German roubōn, raubōn (“to rob, steal, plunder”), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną. Doublet of reave. The correct English form is rob, spelled R-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    To steal from, especially using force or violence.
  2. 2
    To deprive of, or withhold from, unjustly or injuriously; to defraud.
  3. 3
    To deprive (of).
  4. 4
    To burgle.
  5. 5
    To steal.
  6. 6
    To commit robbery.
  7. 7
    To take possession of the ball, puck etc. from.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He robbed three banks before he was caught.
  2. The best way to rob a bank is to own one.

Etymology

From Middle English robben, from Anglo-Norman robber, from Late Latin raubāre, from Frankish *raubōn (compare Dutch roven) and Old High German roubōn, raubōn (“to rob, steal, plunder”), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną. Doublet of reave.

This word in other languages

robar(Español)voler(Français)rauben(Deutsch)roubar(Português)

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 "rob"?
"rob" is spelled R-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɔb/.
What does "rob" mean?
As a verb, "rob" means: To steal from, especially using force or violence.
What words are commonly confused with "rob"?
"rob" is commonly confused with "RS", "RT", "RP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rob" is /ɹɔb/. 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 "rob"?
From Middle English robben, from Anglo-Norman robber, from Late Latin raubāre, from Frankish *raubōn (compare Dutch roven) and Old High German roubōn, raubōn (“to rob, steal, plunder”), from Proto-Germanic *raubōną. Doublet of reave. 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 "rob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Rio#3,977rep#3,975ate#3,999Ann#3,923

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list