# rookie

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɹʊki/ · frequency rank #5,834

## Definitions
1. An inexperienced recruit, especially in the police or armed forces.
2. A novice.
3. An athlete either new to the sport or to a team or in his/her first year of professional competition, especially said of baseball, basketball, hockey and American football players.
4. A type of firecracker, used by farmers to scare rooks.

## Etymology
Thought to be an alteration of recruit + -ie, or from rook (“a cheat”) + -ie. Another possible origin is Dutch broekie (short for broekvent (“a boy still in short trousers”)), a common term for a shipmate. Also suggested is Irish rúca (“an inexperienced person”).

## Easily confused with
- **Rosie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rookie-vs-rosie)
- **rooks** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rookie-vs-rooks)
- **rook** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rook-vs-rookie)
- **Ronnie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ronnie-vs-rookie)
- **Rockies** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rockies-vs-rookie)

## Common misspellings (7)
`orokie`, `rokie`, `rokoie`, `rooike`, `rookei`, `rookkie`, `rrookie`

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