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roundhouse

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

Letters

10 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "roundhouse", 10-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 "roundhouse" 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 "roundhouse" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

roundhouse is aEnglishnoun. It means: A circular prison, especially a small local lockup or station house. Pronounced /ˈɹaʊndˌhaʊs/. Often confused with roadhouse.

Key facts for roundhouse
PropertyValue
Headwordroundhouse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹaʊndˌhaʊs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#38,140
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

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

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for roundhouse is 10 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹaʊndˌhaʊs/. Corpus data places it at rank #38,140 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 14 documented wrong-spelling variants for roundhouse, with forms such as "orundhouse", "ronudhouse", and "roudnhouse". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "roadhouse", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From round + house, a calque of Dutch rondhuis (“guardhouse”). First attested in the Mid-15th c. 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 roundhouse, spelled R-O-U-N-D-H-O-U-S-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A circular prison, especially a small local lockup or station house.
  2. 2
    A traditional circular dwelling elevated on stilts with a conical roof found in part of Southeast Asia.
  3. 3
    A prehistoric dwelling typical of northwest Europe in the Iron Age and Bronze Age.
  4. 4
    The uppermost room or cabin of any note upon the stern of a ship.
  5. 5
    A privy near the bow of a vessel, especially as reserved for officers.
  6. 6
    A circular building in which locomotives are housed, sometimes with a turntable.
  7. 7
    A punch or kick delivered with an exaggerated sweeping movement.
  8. 8
    In the game of pinochle, a meld consisting of a queen and king in each of the four suits.

Etymology

From round + house, a calque of Dutch rondhuis (“guardhouse”). First attested in the Mid-15th c.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: orundhouse,ronudhouse,roudnhouse,rounddhouse,roundhhouse,roundhosue,roundhoues,roundhousse,roundhuose,roundohuse,rounhdouse,rounndhouse,rroundhouse,ruondhouse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for roundhouse

Misspelling Variants of "roundhouse"

orundhouse10ronudhouse10roudnhouse10rounddhouse11roundhhouse11roundhosue10roundhoues10roundhousse11
Misspelling Variants of "roundhouse"

Frequency rank: #38,140 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "roundhouse"?
"roundhouse" is spelled R-O-U-N-D-H-O-U-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹaʊndˌhaʊs/.
What does "roundhouse" mean?
As a noun, "roundhouse" means: A circular prison, especially a small local lockup or station house.
What words are commonly confused with "roundhouse"?
"roundhouse" is commonly confused with "roadhouse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "roundhouse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "roundhouse" is /ˈɹaʊndˌhaʊs/. 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 "roundhouse"?
From round + house, a calque of Dutch rondhuis (“guardhouse”). First attested in the Mid-15th c. 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.