rower
/ˈɹəʊ.ə(ɹ)/
"rower" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“rower” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,193 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #25,193
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One who rows.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | rower |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹəʊ.ə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #25,193 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “rower” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for rower is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹəʊ.ə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,193 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for rower, with forms such as "orwer", "roewr", and "rowerr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rows", "ruler", "ryder", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rower, rowere, roware, equivalent to row + -er. Cognate with Dutch roeier (“rower”), Danish roer (“rower”), Norwegian roer (“rower”). Compare also Old English rōwend (“rower”). The correct English form is rower, spelled R-O-W-E-R.
Definition
- 1One who rows.
- 2A rowing machine.
Etymology
From Middle English rower, rowere, roware, equivalent to row + -er. Cognate with Dutch roeier (“rower”), Danish roer (“rower”), Norwegian roer (“rower”). Compare also Old English rōwend (“rower”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: orwer,roewr,rowerr,rowre,rowwer,rrower,rwoer
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rower - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "rower"?
What does "rower" mean?
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Using “rower”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-O-W-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹəʊ.ə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “rows” - see the side-by-side comparison. rower vs rows
- 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.