rubric
/ˈɹuːbɹɪk/noun, adjective, verb
rubric is spelled R-U-B-R-I-C: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rubric means “A heading in a book highlighted in red” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rubric is rubrics.
How many letters and syllables are in rubric?
| Letters | 6: R-U-B-R-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,336th 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 rubric?
Rubric appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th 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 rubric?
- /ˈɹuːbɹɪk/
Rubric 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: En-us-rubric.ogg, En-au-rubric.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rubric
- rubrics plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- rubrick
- more rubric comparative
- most rubric superlative
- rubricking participle, present
- rubricked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rubric mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A heading in a book highlighted in red.
- 2
A title of a category or a class.
That would fall under the rubric of things we can ignore for now.
- 3
The directions for a religious service, formerly printed in red letters.
- 4
An established rule or custom; a guideline.
Whilst this rubric is not written into law, it should always be followed.
- 5
A statement of intent.
The Government's rubric of "caring for communities" is ridiculous.
- 6
A set of explanatory notes or rules at the beginning of an exam paper, usually typographically distinct from the rest of the paper.
Do not award marks to candidates who have made rubric errors.
- 7
A set of scoring criteria for evaluating student work and for giving feedback.
We refer to the rubric when marking oral examinations.
- 8
A flourish after a signature.
adjective
- 1
Coloured or marked with red; placed in rubrics.
- 2
Of or relating to the rubric or rubrics; rubrical.
verb
- 1
To adorn with red; to redden.
- 2
To organize or classify into rubrics.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rubric in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Rubrik , Benotungsschema |
| Spanish | rúbrica , pauta de evaluación, matriz de evaluación, rúbrica (no DRAE) |
| French | rubrique |
| Portuguese | rubrica, rúbrica |
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 rubric come from?
From Middle English rubriche, rubrike, from Old French rubrique, from Latin rūbrīca (“red ochre”), the substance used to make red letters, from ruber (“red”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ-.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).