robe

\ʁɔb\

/\ʁɔb\/ noun

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

The verdict

“robe” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #2,147) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#2,147
frequency rank, French
5,742
“R” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Vêtement long, en forme de fourreau plus ou moins ample, qui enveloppe le corps, tient aux épaules et a des manches ou des ouvertures pour les bras.

Corpus desk

Index FR-robe · robe · French

robe · rank #2,147 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,147
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,742
  • PHOTO-FINISH rivière

Nearest frequency peer: rivière (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “robe”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “robe” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

robe vs rue
50% similar
robe vs roi
50% similar
robe vs roy
50% similar

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

Key facts for robe
PropertyValue
Headwordrobe
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁɔb\
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,147
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “robe” sits in French frequency

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).robe lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for robe is neighbouring look-alikes ("rue", "roi", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \ʁɔb\. Frequency #2,147 among 5,742 “R” headwords. 9 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for robe, with forms such as "rboe", "robbe", and "roeb". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rue", "roi", "roy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is robe, spelled R-O-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vêtement long, en forme de fourreau plus ou moins ample, qui enveloppe le corps, tient aux épaules et a des manches ou des ouvertures pour les bras.
  2. 2
    Profession de magistrat, d’avocat.
  3. 3
    La noblesse de robe.
  4. 4
    Profession des ecclésiastiques, des religieux ; il est toujours précédé du possessif.
  5. 5
    Pelage ou apparence de quelques animaux, considéré sous le rapport de la couleur.
  6. 6
    Couleur du vin, allant du violet à l’ocre.
  7. 7
    Enveloppe de certains légumes ou de certains fruits.
  8. 8
    Feuille de tabac enveloppant un cigare.
  9. 9
    Partie centrale d’une cloche, la plus grande, qui transmet les vibrations.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Puis le luxe de sa longue robe consistait dans une coupe extrêmement distinguée, et, s’il est permis de chercher des idées dans l’arrangement d’une étoffe, on pourrait dire que les plis nombreux et simples de sa robe lui communiquaient une grande noblesse.
  2. Les femmes, qui sont de taille moyenne et plutôt trapues, portent une robe en vadmel, sorte de flanelle tissée avec la laine qu’elles-mêmes ont cardée et filée.

Synonyms

togepansecorps

This word in other languages

dress(English)vestido(Español)Kleid(Deutsch)vestido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rboe
  • robbe
  • roeb
  • rrobe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of robe - 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.

rboe2robbe1roeb2rrobe1
Edit distance from "robe"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "robe"?
"robe" is spelled R-O-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁɔb\.
What does "robe" mean?
As a noun, "robe" means: Vêtement long, en forme de fourreau plus ou moins ample, qui enveloppe le corps, tient aux épaules et a des manches ou des ouvertures pour les bras.
What words are commonly confused with "robe"?
"robe" is commonly confused with "rue", "roi", "roy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "robe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "robe" is \ʁɔb\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "robe" come from?
"robe" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "robe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fous#2,126anne#2,110Rang#2,194race#2,098

What to do next

You've looked up "robe". Here's where to go from here.

  • "robe" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "rue". View pair
  • 4 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,147 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list