rook

/ɹʊk/

//ɹʊk// noun

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

"rook" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rook” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,558. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,558
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A European bird, Corvus frugilegus, of the crow family.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rook · rook · English

rook · rank #25,558 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,558
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH roo

Nearest frequency peer: roo (-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 “rook”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “rook” 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).

rook vs row
50% similar
rook vs Roy
25% similar
rook vs rot
50% similar

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

Key facts for rook
PropertyValue
Headwordrook
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹʊk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#25,558
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rook”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).rooklands 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 “roo” (#25,557), “rouse” (#25,559), “sabha” (#25,560). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rook” is #25,558. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around rook (IPA /ɹʊk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,558 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for rook, with forms such as "orok", "rok", and "roko". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "row", "Roy", "rot", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: * Inherited from Middle English rok, roke, from Old English hrōc, from Proto-West Germanic *hrōk, from Proto-Germanic *hrōkaz (compare Old Norse hrókr, Saterland Frisian Rouk, Dutch roek, obsolete German Ruch), from Proto-Indo-European *kerk- (“crow, raven”… The correct English form is rook, spelled R-O-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A European bird, Corvus frugilegus, of the crow family.
  2. 2
    A cheat or swindler; someone who betrays.
  3. 3
    A bad deal; a rip-off.
  4. 4
    A type of firecracker used by farmers to scare birds of the same name.
  5. 5
    A trick-taking game, usually played with a specialized deck of cards.
  6. 6
    A parson.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But what distinguishes the rook from the crow is the bill; the nostrils, chin, and sides of that and the mouth being in old birds white and bared of feathers, by often thrusting the bill into the ground in search of the erucæ of the Dor-beetle*; the rook then, instead of being proscribed, should be treated as the farmer's friend; as it clears his ground f…
  2. To-night the winds begin to rise ⁠And roar from yonder dropping day: ⁠The last red leaf is whirl’d away, The rooks are blown about the skies; […]

Etymology

* Inherited from Middle English rok, roke, from Old English hrōc, from Proto-West Germanic *hrōk, from Proto-Germanic *hrōkaz (compare Old Norse hrókr, Saterland Frisian Rouk, Dutch roek, obsolete German Ruch), from Proto-Indo-European *kerk- (“crow, raven”) (compare Old Irish cerc (“hen”), Old Prussian kerko (“loon, diver”), dialectal Bulgarian кро́кон (krókon, “raven”), Ancient Greek κόραξ (kórax, “crow”), Old Armenian ագռաւ (agṙaw), Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬵𐬭𐬐𐬀𐬙𐬀𐬝 (kahrkatat̰, “rooster”), Sanskrit कृकर (kṛkara, “rooster”)), Ukrainian крук (kruk, “raven”). * (parson): Probably from the resemblance in plumage to a parson's garments.

This word in other languages

grajo(Español)corbeau freux(Français)Saatkrähe(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • orok
  • rok
  • roko
  • rookk
  • rrook

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

orok2rok1roko2rookk1rrook1
Edit distance from "rook"

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 "rook"?
"rook" is spelled R-O-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹʊk/.
What does "rook" mean?
As a noun, "rook" means: A European bird, Corvus frugilegus, of the crow family.
What words are commonly confused with "rook"?
"rook" is commonly confused with "row", "Roy", "rot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rook"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rook" is /ɹʊk/. 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 "rook"?
* Inherited from Middle English rok, roke, from Old English hrōc, from Proto-West Germanic *hrōk, from Proto-Germanic *hrōkaz (compare Old Norse hrókr, Saterland Frisian Rouk, Dutch roek, obsolete German Ruch), from Proto-Indo-European *kerk- (“cr... 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 "rook", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

repo#25,550sine#25,577plat#25,532snug#25,585

Similar misspelling depth

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

tiki5 variantstort5 variantsJodi5 variantscate5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list