rueful

/ˈɹuːfl̩/

//ˈɹuːfl̩// adj

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

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

The verdict

“rueful” is uncommon English (frequency #78,090 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,090
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow, especially in a wry or humorous way.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rueful · rueful · English

rueful · rank #78,090 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,090
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH ruminate

Nearest frequency peer: ruminate (+2 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 “rueful”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for rueful
PropertyValue
Headwordrueful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹuːfl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#78,090
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “rueful” 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).ruefulfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “ruminate” (#78,092), “rootless” (#78,086), “rooker” (#78,085). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rueful” is #78,090. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

rueful is uncommon English at frequency #78,090 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɹuːfl̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

rueful has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ruful, rewful. By surface analysis, rue + -ful. The correct English form is rueful, spelled R-U-E-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow, especially in a wry or humorous way.
  2. 2
    Inspiring pity or compassion.
  3. 3
    Bad; woeful; deplorable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Merely, he received it with the rueful indulgence that he would show towards Tom when he came through with one of his solutions for ending world poverty or the arms race.

Etymology

From Middle English ruful, rewful. By surface analysis, rue + -ful.

This word in other languages

reuig(Deutsch)

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 "rueful"?
"rueful" is spelled R-U-E-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹuːfl̩/.
What does "rueful" mean?
As an adjective, "rueful" means: Causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow, especially in a wry or humorous way.
How do you pronounce "rueful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rueful" is /ˈɹuːfl̩/. 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 "rueful"?
From Middle English ruful, rewful. By surface analysis, rue + -ful. 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 "rueful", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

rooker#78,085Risley#78,081rennet#78,074scampi#78,108

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list