roving
/ˈɹoʊvɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
roving is spelled R-O-V-I-N-G: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, roving means “Moving about; having no fixed or permanent abode; travelling from place to place” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in roving?
| Letters | 6: R-O-V-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,649th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is roving?
Roving appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce roving?
- US /ˈɹoʊvɪŋ/
Roving has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Sapaa-roving.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with roving
Also written: rowan.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of roving
- more roving comparative
- most roving superlative
- rovings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does roving mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Moving about; having no fixed or permanent abode; travelling from place to place.
- 2
Of the eyes or gaze, inspecting all over; not staying fixed on one subject.
His roving eyes never focused on anything specific.
noun
- 1
A long and narrow bundle of fibre, usually used to spin woollen yarn or in felting.
- 2
The process of giving the first twist to yarn.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of rove
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Roving in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense wandering:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | umherschweifend |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does roving come from?
From rove + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).