robust

/ɹəʊˈbʌst/

//ɹəʊˈbʌst// adj

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

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

The verdict

“robust” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,843. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,843
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Able to withstand adverse conditions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-robust · robust · English

robust · rank #7,843 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,843
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH risky

Nearest frequency peer: risky (-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 neighbourhood for “robust”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “robust” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

robust vs rust
67% similar
robust vs rout
67% similar
robust vs rouse
67% similar

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

Key facts for robust
PropertyValue
Headwordrobust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹəʊˈbʌst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,843
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “robust” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).robust lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around robust (IPA /ɹəʊˈbʌst/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,843 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for robust, with forms such as "orbust", "rboust", and "robbust". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "rust", "rout", "rouse", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin rōbustus. The correct English form is robust, spelled R-O-B-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Able to withstand adverse conditions.
  2. 2
    Evincing strength and health; strong; (often, especially) both large and healthy.
  3. 3
    Requiring strength or vigor.
  4. 4
    Sensible (of intellect etc.); straightforward, not given to or confused by uncertainty or subtlety.
  5. 5
    Rough; rude.
  6. 6
    Designed or evolved in such a way as to be resistant to total failure despite partial damage.
  7. 7
    Resistant or impervious to failure regardless of user input or unexpected conditions.
  8. 8
    Not greatly influenced by errors in assumptions about the distribution of sample errors.
  9. 9
    Of an individual or skeletal element: strongly built; muscular; not gracile.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He was a robust man of six feet four.
  2. robust health

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin rōbustus.

This word in other languages

robusto(Español)robuste(Français)robust(Deutsch)robusto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • orbust
  • rboust
  • robbust
  • robsut
  • robusst
  • robustt
  • robuts
  • roubst
  • rrobust

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of robust - 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.

orbust2rboust2robbust1robsut2robusst1robustt1robuts2roubst2
Edit distance from "robust"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "robust"?
"robust" is spelled R-O-B-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəʊˈbʌst/.
What does "robust" mean?
As an adjective, "robust" means: Able to withstand adverse conditions.
What words are commonly confused with "robust"?
"robust" is commonly confused with "rust", "rout", "rouse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "robust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "robust" is /ɹəʊˈbʌst/. 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 "robust"?
Learned borrowing from Latin rōbustus. 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 "robust", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

refund#7,839storms#7,853postal#7,831themed#7,860

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

squeeze9 variantsnewton9 variantslynch9 variantsbegging9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "robust". Here's where to go from here.

  • "robust" maps to 9 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "rust". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #7,843 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list