roulade

/ɹuːˈlɑːd/

//ɹuːˈlɑːd// noun

"roulade" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“roulade” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An elaborate embellishment of several notes sung to one syllable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-roulade · roulade · English

roulade · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "R" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for roulade
PropertyValue
Headwordroulade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹuːˈlɑːd/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “roulade” in English

rouladefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

roulade is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɹuːˈlɑːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for roulade in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French roulade, from rouler (“to roll”), from Old French roler. The correct English form is roulade, spelled R-O-U-L-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An elaborate embellishment of several notes sung to one syllable.
  2. 2
    A slice of meat that is rolled up, stuffed, and cooked.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He leaned back in his chair, and little more than the whites of his upturned eyes were visible; and beating time upon the table with one hand, claw-wise, and with two or three queer, little thrills and roulades, which re-appeared with great precision in each verse, he delivered himself thus, in what I suspect was an old psalm tune: […]
  2. He heard only here and there the ecstatic burst of a mocking-bird's wonderful roulades.

Etymology

From French roulade, from rouler (“to roll”), from Old French roler.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "roulade"?
"roulade" is spelled R-O-U-L-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹuːˈlɑːd/.
What does "roulade" mean?
As a noun, "roulade" means: An elaborate embellishment of several notes sung to one syllable.
How do you pronounce "roulade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "roulade" is /ɹuːˈlɑːd/. 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 "roulade"?
From French roulade, from rouler (“to roll”), from Old French roler. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list