router

/ˈɹuː.tə(ɹ)/

//ˈɹuː.tə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“router” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,046. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,046
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who routes or directs items from one location to another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-router · router · English

router · rank #15,046 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,046
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH roaming

Nearest frequency peer: roaming (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “router”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “router” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

router vs ruler
67% similar
router vs rover
67% similar
router vs rower
67% similar

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

Key facts for router
PropertyValue
Headwordrouter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹuː.tə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,046
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “router”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).routerlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “roaming” (#15,045), “resilient” (#15,044), “regression” (#15,043). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “router” is #15,046. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around router (IPA /ˈɹuː.tə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,046 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for router, with forms such as "oruter", "rotuer", and "rouetr". 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, "ruler", "rover", "rower", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From route + -er. The correct English form is router, spelled R-O-U-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who routes or directs items from one location to another.
  2. 2
    Any device that directs packets of information using the equivalent of Open Systems Interconnection layer 3 (network layer) information. Most commonly used in reference to Internet Protocol routers.
  3. 3
    A device that connects local area networks to form a larger internet by, at minimum, selectively passing those datagrams having a destination IP address to the network which is able to deliver them to their destination; a network gateway.
  4. 4
    In integrated circuit or printed circuit board design, an algorithm for adding all wires needed to properly connect all of the placed components while obeying all design rules.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The router directed the movement of the company's trucks.
  2. When the router receives the package, he places the route number on it as well as on the triplicate part of the attached salescheck.

Etymology

From route + -er.

This word in other languages

router(Español)routeur(Français)Router(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oruter
  • rotuer
  • rouetr
  • routerr
  • routre
  • routter
  • rrouter
  • ruoter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oruter2rotuer2rouetr2routerr1routre2routter1rrouter1ruoter2
Edit distance from "router"

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 "router"?
"router" is spelled R-O-U-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹuː.tə(ɹ)/.
What does "router" mean?
As a noun, "router" means: Someone who routes or directs items from one location to another.
What words are commonly confused with "router"?
"router" is commonly confused with "ruler", "rover", "rower". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "router"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "router" is /ˈɹuː.tə(ɹ)/. 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 "router"?
From route + -er. 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 "router", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shovel#15,059primer#15,032peaked#15,023outing#15,016

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Nicky8 variantsmilky8 variantsMcKay8 variantsmailed8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list