route

/ɹuːt/

//ɹuːt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“route” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,176 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,176
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A course or way which is traveled or passed.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

route vs rue
60% similar
route vs rut
60% similar
route vs rule
60% similar

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

Key facts for route
PropertyValue
Headwordroute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹuːt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,176
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “route” 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). route lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for route is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹuːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,176 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for route, with forms such as "orute", "rotue", and "rouet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rue", "rut", "rule", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English route, from Old French route, from Latin rupta [via] (literally “a path made by force”). Compare Modern French route. See routine. Further via Latin ruptus related with bankrupt. The correct English form is route, spelled R-O-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A course or way which is traveled or passed.
  2. 2
    A regular itinerary of stops, or the path followed between these stops, such as for delivery or passenger transportation.
  3. 3
    A road or path; often specifically a highway.
  4. 4
    One of multiple methods or approaches to doing something.
  5. 5
    One of the major provinces of imperial China from the Later Jin to the Song, corresponding to the Tang and early Yuan circuits.
  6. 6
    A specific entry in a router that tells the router how to transmit the data it receives.
  7. 7
    A race longer than one mile.
  8. 8
    A path that has been secured by a railway signalling system for the passage of a train and locked to prevent any conflicting train movements from taking place.

Etymology

From Middle English route, from Old French route, from Latin rupta [via] (literally “a path made by force”). Compare Modern French route. See routine. Further via Latin ruptus related with bankrupt.

This word in other languages

ruta(Español)route(Français)Route(Deutsch)rota(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: orute,rotue,rouet,routte,rroute,ruote

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of route - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

orute2rotue2rouet2routte1rroute1ruote2
Edit distance from "route"

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 "route"?
"route" is spelled R-O-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹuːt/.
What does "route" mean?
As a noun, "route" means: A course or way which is traveled or passed.
What words are commonly confused with "route"?
"route" is commonly confused with "rue", "rut", "rule". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "route"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "route" is /ɹuːt/. 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 "route"?
From Middle English route, from Old French route, from Latin rupta [via] (literally “a path made by force”). Compare Modern French route. See routine. Further via Latin ruptus related with bankrupt. 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.

Using “route”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-O-U-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹuːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “rue” - see the side-by-side comparison. route vs rue
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list