rumour

/ˈɹuːmə(ɹ)/

//ˈɹuːmə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“rumour” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,709. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,709
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - British, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland spelling of rumor.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rumour · rumour · English

rumour · rank #17,709 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,709
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH royale

Nearest frequency peer: royale (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “rumour”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “rumour” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

rumour vs rumor
83% similar
rumour vs rigour
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for rumour
PropertyValue
Headwordrumour
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹuːmə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,709
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rumour”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).rumourlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “royale” (#17,708), “robbing” (#17,707), “savages” (#17,711). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rumour” is #17,709. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around rumour (IPA /ˈɹuːmə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,709 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for rumour, with forms such as "rmuour", "rrumour", and "rummour". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "rumor", "rigour", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rumour, from Old French rumour, rumor, from Latin rūmor (“common talk”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *rewH- (“to shout, roar”). The correct English form is rumour, spelled R-U-M-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    British, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland spelling of rumor.
  2. 2
    A prolonged, indistinct noise.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Rumour had it (though not proved) that she descended from the house of the lords Talbot de Malahide
  2. There were rumours, new rumours every morning, delightful and outrageous rumours, so that the lumps in the porridge were swallowed without comment and the fish-cakes were eaten without contumely.

Etymology

From Middle English rumour, from Old French rumour, rumor, from Latin rūmor (“common talk”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *rewH- (“to shout, roar”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rmuour
  • rrumour
  • rummour
  • rumoru
  • rumourr
  • rumuor
  • ruomur
  • urmour

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rumour - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

rmuour2rrumour1rummour1rumoru2rumourr1rumuor2ruomur2urmour2
Edit distance from "rumour"

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 "rumour"?
"rumour" is spelled R-U-M-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹuːmə(ɹ)/.
What does "rumour" mean?
As a noun, "rumour" means: British, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland spelling of rumor.
What words are commonly confused with "rumour"?
"rumour" is commonly confused with "rumor", "rigour". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rumour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rumour" is /ˈɹuːmə(ɹ)/. 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 "rumour"?
From Middle English rumour, from Old French rumour, rumor, from Latin rūmor (“common talk”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *rewH- (“to shout, roar”). 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 "rumour", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

royale#17,708resent#17,701Purdue#17,697phoebe#17,692

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

sighs8 variantsspawn8 variantspaused8 variantsticks8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list