roost
/ɹust/noun, verb
roost is spelled R-O-O-S-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, roost means “The place where a bird sleeps (usually its nest or a branch)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of roost is roosts.
How many letters and syllables are in roost?
| Letters | 5: R-O-O-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is roost?
Roost appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce roost?
- UK /ɹuːst/
- British /ɹʉwst/
- US /ɹust/
Roost has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-roost.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with roost?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as roost from its last stressed vowel (/ust/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: roots, torso, ostro.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of roost
- roosts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- roosting participle, present
- roosted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does roost mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The place where a bird sleeps (usually its nest or a branch).
- 2
A group of birds roosting together.
- 3
A bedroom.
- 4
ScotlandThe open cross-joists or inner roof of a cottage or living space.
- 5
A kick which causes the ball to travel a long distance.
- 6
Synonym of perch (“a position that is secure and advantageous”).
- 7
Alternative form of roust (“a strong tide or current”).
verb
- 1
To settle on a perch in order to sleep or rest.
- 2
To spend the night.
- 3
To kick (a ball) a long distance.
- 4
Alternative form of roust.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Roost in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Nest , auf einem Ast schlafen, auf einer Stange schlafen, übernachten |
| Portuguese | poleiro |
| Spanish | gallinero, pajarera |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does roost come from?
From Middle English roste (“chicken's roost; perch”), from Old English hrōst (“wooden framework of a roof; roost”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrōst, from Proto-Germanic *hrōstaz (“wooden framework; grill”); see *raustijan.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).