ruddock

/ˈɹʌdək/

//ˈɹʌdək// noun

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

"ruddock" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ruddock” is uncommon English (frequency #83,694 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,694
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The European robin.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ruddock · ruddock · English

ruddock · rank #83,694 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #83,694
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH Rothesay

Nearest frequency peer: Rothesay (-3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “ruddock”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ruddock” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ruddock
PropertyValue
Headwordruddock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹʌdək/
Letters7
Frequency rank#83,694
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ruddock” in English

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).ruddockfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Rothesay” (#83,691), “Rutherglen” (#83,698), “ROSCO” (#83,689). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “ruddock” is #83,694. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ruddock is uncommon English at frequency #83,694 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹʌdək/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ruddock, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ruddocke, ruddok, roddok, from Old English rudduc, ruduc (“robin, ruddock”, literally “little red one, red-ling”), equivalent to rud (“redness”) + -ock (diminutive suffix). The Welsh rhuddog, and Cornish rudhek (“the redbreast”) are prob… The correct English form is ruddock, spelled R-U-D-D-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The European robin.
  2. 2
    A piece of gold money (probably because the gold of coins was often reddened by copper alloy).
  3. 3
    A variety of red apple, used for cidermaking.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Ouzell shrills; the Ruddock warbles soft.
  2. The sweet And shrilly ruddock, with its bleeding breast

Etymology

From Middle English ruddocke, ruddok, roddok, from Old English rudduc, ruduc (“robin, ruddock”, literally “little red one, red-ling”), equivalent to rud (“redness”) + -ock (diminutive suffix). The Welsh rhuddog, and Cornish rudhek (“the redbreast”) are probably from the English, although a derivation from a British Celtic *roudākos (< *roudos "red") for all three cannot be ruled out. More at rud.

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 "ruddock"?
"ruddock" is spelled R-U-D-D-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹʌdək/.
What does "ruddock" mean?
As a noun, "ruddock" means: The European robin.
How do you pronounce "ruddock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ruddock" is /ˈɹʌdək/. 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 "ruddock"?
From Middle English ruddocke, ruddok, roddok, from Old English rudduc, ruduc (“robin, ruddock”, literally “little red one, red-ling”), equivalent to rud (“redness”) + -ock (diminutive suffix). The Welsh rhuddog, and Cornish rudhek (“the redbreast”... 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 "ruddock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Rydberg#83,699Rogaine#83,688Samburu#83,705retread#83,682

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list