rot

/ɹɒt/

//ɹɒt// verb

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

"rot" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rot” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #11,285) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#11,285
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To suffer decomposition due to biological action, especially by fungi or bacteria.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rot · rot · English

rot · rank #11,285 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,285
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH Rooney

Nearest frequency peer: Rooney (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “rot”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “rot” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

rot vs RS
0% similar
rot vs RT
0% similar
rot vs RP
0% similar

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

Key facts for rot
PropertyValue
Headwordrot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɒt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#11,285
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rot” 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).rotlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Rooney” (#11,284), “Ronnie” (#11,283), “Salem” (#11,287). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for rot is neighbouring look-alikes ("RS", "RT", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /ɹɒt/. Frequency #11,285 among 3,094 “R” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for rot, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "RS", "RT", "RP", 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 roten, rotten, from Old English rotian (“to rot, become corrupted, ulcerate, putrefy”), from Proto-West Germanic *rotēn, from Proto-Germanic *rutāną (“to rot”). The correct English form is rot, spelled R-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To suffer decomposition due to biological action, especially by fungi or bacteria.
  2. 2
    To decline in function or utility.
  3. 3
    To (cause to) deteriorate in any way, as in morals; to corrupt.
  4. 4
    To make putrid; to cause to be wholly or partially decomposed by natural processes.
  5. 5
    To spend a long period of time (in an unpleasant place or state).
  6. 6
    To expose, as flax, to a process of maceration, etc., for the purpose of separating the fiber; to ret.
  7. 7
    To talk nonsense.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The apple left in the cupboard all that time had started to rot.
  2. Fix'd like a plant on his peculiar spot, / To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English roten, rotten, from Old English rotian (“to rot, become corrupted, ulcerate, putrefy”), from Proto-West Germanic *rotēn, from Proto-Germanic *rutāną (“to rot”).

Synonyms

putrefymolder

This word in other languages

pudrirse(Español)pourrir(Français)verrotten(Deutsch)

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 "rot"?
"rot" is spelled R-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɒt/.
What does "rot" mean?
As a verb, "rot" means: To suffer decomposition due to biological action, especially by fungi or bacteria.
What words are commonly confused with "rot"?
"rot" is commonly confused with "RS", "RT", "RP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rot" is /ɹɒt/. 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 "rot"?
Inherited from Middle English roten, rotten, from Old English rotian (“to rot, become corrupted, ulcerate, putrefy”), from Proto-West Germanic *rotēn, from Proto-Germanic *rutāną (“to rot”). 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 "rot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pos#11,268UTC#11,316Zen#11,330apt#11,337

What to do next

You've looked up "rot". Here's where to go from here.

  • "rot" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "RS". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #11,285 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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