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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,558 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#25,558
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A European bird, Corvus frugilegus, of the crow family.

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)

Where “rook” sits in English frequency

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

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for rook is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹʊk/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,558 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “rook”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-O-O-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹʊk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “row” - see the side-by-side comparison. rook vs row
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list