rother

/ˈɹɒðə/

//ˈɹɒðə// noun

"rother" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rother” is uncommon English (frequency #95,361 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,361
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A horned animal, especially an ox.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rother · rother · English

rother · rank #95,361 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,361
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rosehip

Nearest frequency peer: rosehip (-2 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 “rother”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “rother” 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 2, 2026
Key facts for rother
PropertyValue
Headwordrother
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɒðə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#95,361
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rother” 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). rother lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

rother is uncommon English at frequency #95,361 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹɒðə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A horned animal, especially an ox.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for rother, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rother, ruther, reother, from Old English hrūþer, hrȳþer, byforms of hrīþer, hrīþ (“neat; ox”), from Proto-Germanic *hrunþaz, *hrinþaz. Cognate with Dutch rund (“bovine”), German Rind (“bovine; beef”). The correct English form is rother, spelled R-O-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A horned animal, especially an ox.

Etymology

From Middle English rother, ruther, reother, from Old English hrūþer, hrȳþer, byforms of hrīþer, hrīþ (“neat; ox”), from Proto-Germanic *hrunþaz, *hrinþaz. Cognate with Dutch rund (“bovine”), German Rind (“bovine; beef”).

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "rother"?
"rother" is spelled R-O-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɒðə/.
What does "rother" mean?
As a noun, "rother" means: A horned animal, especially an ox.
How do you pronounce "rother"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rother" is /ˈɹɒðə/. 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 "rother"?
From Middle English rother, ruther, reother, from Old English hrūþer, hrȳþer, byforms of hrīþer, hrīþ (“neat; ox”), from Proto-Germanic *hrunþaz, *hrinþaz. Cognate with Dutch rund (“bovine”), German Rind (“bovine; beef”). 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 "rother", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

What to do next

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

  • Usage frequency rank #95,361 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