# robbery

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɹɒbəɹi/ · frequency rank #7,493

## Definitions
1. The act or practice of robbing.
2. The offense of taking or attempting to take the property of another by force or threat of force.

## Etymology
From Middle English robberie, robry, roberie, from Old French roberie, from the verb rober (“to steal; to pillage”) + -ie. Ultimately from unattested Frankish *raubōn. By surface analysis, rob + -ery. Compare Dutch roverij (“robbery”), Norwegian Bokmål røveri (“robbery”), German Räuberei (“robbery, banditry”).
Displaced native Old English rēaflāc.

## Easily confused with
- **Robby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robbery-vs-robby)
- **Robert** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robbery-vs-robert)
- **rubber** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robbery-vs-rubber)
- **Rosberg** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robbery-vs-rosberg)
- **Roxbury** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robbery-vs-roxbury)
- **rubbers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robbery-vs-rubbers)
- **rubbery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robbery-vs-rubbery)
- **robbed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robbed-vs-robbery)
- **robber** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robber-vs-robbery)

## Common misspellings (9)
`orbbery`, `rbobery`, `robberry`, `robberyy`, `robbeyr`, `robbrey`, `robebry`, `robery`, `rrobbery`

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