roust

/ɹaʊst/

//ɹaʊst// verb

"roust" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - to rout out of bed; to rouse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-roust · roust · English

roust · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 roust
PropertyValue
Headwordroust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹaʊst/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “roust” in English

roustfalls 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

roust is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹaʊst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for roust in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1650s, variant of rouse, possibly influenced by rout. The correct English form is roust, spelled R-O-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    to rout out of bed; to rouse.
  2. 2
    To harass, to treat in a rough way.
  3. 3
    To arrest.
  4. 4
    To drive strongly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Why didn't you roust me out?" / "Well, I tried to, but I couldn't; I couldn't budge you." / "Well, all right. Don't stand there palavering all day, but out with you and see if there's a fish on the lines for breakfast. I'll be along in a minute."
  2. 1977-1980, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure Yesterday morn at 6:30 they rousted me up & gave me 2 shots in the behind.

Etymology

1650s, variant of rouse, possibly influenced by rout.

Synonyms

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 "roust"?
"roust" is spelled R-O-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹaʊst/.
What does "roust" mean?
As a verb, "roust" means: to rout out of bed; to rouse.
How do you pronounce "roust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "roust" is /ɹaʊst/. 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 "roust"?
1650s, variant of rouse, possibly influenced by rout. 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