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rooster

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "rooster", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "rooster" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "rooster" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

rooster is aEnglishnoun. It means: A male domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) or other gallinaceous bird. Pronounced /ˈɹuːstə/. Often confused with roster and rooted.

Key facts for rooster
PropertyValue
Headwordrooster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹuːstə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,441
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of rooster in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for rooster is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹuːstə/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,441 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for rooster, with forms such as "oroster", "roosetr", and "roosster". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "roster", "rooted", "router", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From roost + -er. In the regions where it is used, displaced cock through taboo avoidance. Compare typologically Russian насе́дка (nasédka) (akin to наси́живать (nasíživatʹ), also akin to насе́ст (nasést)). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is rooster, spelled R-O-O-S-T-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) or other gallinaceous bird.
  2. 2
    A bird or bat which roosts or is roosting.
  3. 3
    An informer.
  4. 4
    A violent or disorderly person.
  5. 5
    A powerful, prideful, or pompous person.
  6. 6
    A man.
  7. 7
    A wild violet, when used in a children's game based on cockfighting.
  8. 8
    Legislation solely devised to benefit the legislators proposing it.

Etymology

From roost + -er. In the regions where it is used, displaced cock through taboo avoidance. Compare typologically Russian насе́дка (nasédka) (akin to наси́живать (nasíživatʹ), also akin to насе́ст (nasést)).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: oroster,roosetr,roosster,roosterr,roostre,roostter,rootser,rosoter,rrooster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for rooster

Misspelling Variants of "rooster"

oroster7roosetr7roosster8roosterr8roostre7roostter8rootser7rosoter7
Misspelling Variants of "rooster"

Frequency rank: #19,441 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "rooster"?
"rooster" is spelled R-O-O-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹuːstə/.
What does "rooster" mean?
As a noun, "rooster" means: A male domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) or other gallinaceous bird.
What words are commonly confused with "rooster"?
"rooster" is commonly confused with "roster", "rooted", "router". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rooster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rooster" is /ˈɹuːstə/. 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 "rooster"?
From roost + -er. In the regions where it is used, displaced cock through taboo avoidance. Compare typologically Russian насе́дка (nasédka) (akin to наси́живать (nasíživatʹ), also akin to насе́ст (nasést)). 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter R in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.