roost

/ɹuːst/

//ɹuːst// noun

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

"roost" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“roost” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,070. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,070
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The place where a bird sleeps (usually its nest or a branch).

Corpus desk

Index EN-roost · roost · English

roost · rank #29,070 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,070
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH Roswell

Nearest frequency peer: Roswell (+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 “roost”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “roost” 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).

roost vs rot
60% similar
roost vs ROS
0% similar
roost vs rose
60% similar

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

Key facts for roost
PropertyValue
Headwordroost
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹuːst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#29,070
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “roost”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).roostlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Roswell” (#29,071), “Roderick” (#29,068), “rigorously” (#29,067). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “roost” is #29,070. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around roost (IPA /ɹuːst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,070 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for roost, with forms such as "orost", "roosst", and "roostt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rot", "ROS", "rose", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. Cognate with Dutch roest (“roost”)… The correct English form is roost, spelled R-O-O-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The place where a bird sleeps (usually its nest or a branch).
  2. 2
    A group of birds roosting together.
  3. 3
    A bedroom.
  4. 4
    The open cross-joists or inner roof of a cottage or living space.
  5. 5
    A kick which causes the ball to travel a long distance.
  6. 6
    Synonym of perch (“a position that is secure and advantageous”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He clapp'd his wings upon his roost.

Etymology

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. Cognate with Dutch roest (“roost”), German Low German Rust (“roost”), German Rost (“grate; gridiron; grill”).

This word in other languages

gallinero(Español)Nest(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • orost
  • roosst
  • roostt
  • rosot
  • rost
  • rroost

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of roost - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

orost2roosst1roostt1rosot2rost1rroost1
Edit distance from "roost"

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 "roost"?
"roost" is spelled R-O-O-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹuːst/.
What does "roost" mean?
As a noun, "roost" means: The place where a bird sleeps (usually its nest or a branch).
What words are commonly confused with "roost"?
"roost" is commonly confused with "rot", "ROS", "rose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "roost"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "roost" is /ɹuːst/. 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 "roost"?
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. Cognate with Dutch roest... 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 "roost", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shard#29,083sieve#29,084quell#29,052pushy#29,050

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Tania6 variantsmoby6 variantsWynne6 variantsyank6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list