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roll

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "roll", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "roll" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "roll" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

roll is aEnglishverb. It means: To revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on a horizontal axis; to impel forward with a revolving motion on a supporting surface. Pronounced /ɹəʊl/. It ranks #1,838 in English word frequency. Often confused with row and Roy.

Key facts for roll
PropertyValue
Headwordroll
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹəʊl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,838
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of roll in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for roll is 4 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹəʊl/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,838 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 35 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 4 documented wrong-spelling variants for roll, with forms such as "orll", "rlol", and "rol". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "row", "Roy", "Ron", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rollen, partly from Old French roller, roler, röeler, röoler, from Medieval Latin rotulāre (“to roll; to revolve”), from Latin rotula (“a little wheel”), diminutive of rota (“a wheel”); partly from Anglo-Latin rollāre, from the same ulti… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is roll, spelled R-O-L-L, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on a horizontal axis; to impel forward with a revolving motion on a supporting surface.
  2. 2
    To wrap (something) round on itself; to form into a spherical or cylindrical body by causing to turn over and over.
  3. 3
    To bind or involve by winding, as with a bandage; to enwrap; often with up.
  4. 4
    To drive, impel, or flow onward with a steady, wave-like motion.
  5. 5
    To utter copiously, especially with sounding words; to utter with a deep sound; — often with forth, or out.
  6. 6
    To press, level, spread, or form with a roller or rollers.
  7. 7
    To move upon rollers or wheels.
  8. 8
    To tumble in gymnastics; to do a somersault.
  9. 9
    To leave or begin a journey; sometimes with out.
  10. 10
    To leave or begin a journey; sometimes with out.
  11. 11
    To leave or begin a journey; sometimes with out.
  12. 12
    To beat with rapid, continuous strokes, as a drum; to sound a roll upon.
  13. 13
    To apply (one line or surface) to another without slipping; to bring all the parts of (one line or surface) into successive contact with another, in such a manner that at every instant the parts that have been in contact are equal.
  14. 14
    To turn over in one's mind, as of deep thoughts; to (cause to) be considered thoroughly.
  15. 15
    To behave in a certain way; to adopt a general disposition toward a situation.
  16. 16
    To throw dice.
  17. 17
    To throw dice.
  18. 18
    To throw dice.
  19. 19
    To perform an operation similar to a bit shift, but with the bit that "falls off the end" being wrapped around to the other end.
  20. 20
    To rotate about the fore-and-aft axis, causing its sides to go up and down. Compare pitch, yaw.
  21. 21
    To rotate about the fore-and-aft axis, causing its sides to go up and down. Compare pitch, yaw.
  22. 22
    To beat up; to assault.
  23. 23
    To (cause to) betray secrets or testify for the prosecution.
  24. 24
    To be under the influence of MDMA (a psychedelic stimulant, also known as ecstasy).
  25. 25
    To (cause to) film.
  26. 26
    To slip past (a defender) with the ball.
  27. 27
    To have a rolling aspect.
  28. 28
    To make a loud or heavy rumbling noise.
  29. 29
    To utter with an alveolar trill.
  30. 30
    To enrobe in toilet-paper (as a prank or spectacle).
  31. 31
    To create a customized version of.
  32. 32
    To engage in sparring in the context of jujitsu or other grappling disciplines.
  33. 33
    To load ocean freight cargo onto a vessel other than the one it was meant to sail on.
  34. 34
    To briskly arpeggiate (a chord), typically in an upward motion.
  35. 35
    To drum on the reverse of a game controller with one's fingers in rapid succession, pushing the controller face into the opposite hand such that a button is rapidly pressed and depressed.

Etymology

From Middle English rollen, partly from Old French roller, roler, röeler, röoler, from Medieval Latin rotulāre (“to roll; to revolve”), from Latin rotula (“a little wheel”), diminutive of rota (“a wheel”); partly from Anglo-Latin rollāre, from the same ultimate source. Displaced native English welt.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: orll,rlol,rol,rroll

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for roll

Misspelling Variants of "roll"

orll4rlol4rol3rroll5
Misspelling Variants of "roll"

Frequency rank: #1,838 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "roll"?
"roll" is spelled R-O-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəʊl/.
What does "roll" mean?
As a verb, "roll" means: To revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on a horizontal axis; to impel forward with a revolving motion on a supporting surface.
What words are commonly confused with "roll"?
"roll" is commonly confused with "row", "Roy", "Ron". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "roll"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "roll" is /ɹəʊl/. 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 "roll"?
From Middle English rollen, partly from Old French roller, roler, röeler, röoler, from Medieval Latin rotulāre (“to roll; to revolve”), from Latin rotula (“a little wheel”), diminutive of rota (“a wheel”); partly from Anglo-Latin rollāre, from the... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter R in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.