rotule

\ʁɔ.tyl\

/\ʁɔ.tyl\/ noun

The verdict

“rotule” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #39,517 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#39,517
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Petit os plat, triangulaire, à angles arrondis, placé en avant du genou, à l’endroit où le fémur s’articule avec le tibia.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

rotule vs rule
67% similar
rotule vs roué
50% similar
rotule vs route
67% similar

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

Key facts for rotule
PropertyValue
Headwordrotule
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁɔ.tyl\
Letters6
Frequency rank#39,517
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rotule” sits in French frequency

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

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for rotule is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁɔ.tyl\. Corpus data places it at rank #39,517 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for rotule, with forms such as "ortule", "rotlue", and "rottule". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "rule", "roué", "route", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is rotule, spelled R-O-T-U-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Petit os plat, triangulaire, à angles arrondis, placé en avant du genou, à l’endroit où le fémur s’articule avec le tibia.
  2. 2
    Pièce de forme sphérique utilisée comme articulation dans les organes qu’on doit pouvoir orienter dans tous les sens.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ortule,rotlue,rottule,rotuel,rotulle,routle,rrotule,rtoule

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rotule - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ortule2rotlue2rottule1rotuel2rotulle1routle2rrotule1rtoule2
Edit distance from "rotule"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "rotule"?
"rotule" is spelled R-O-T-U-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁɔ.tyl\.
What does "rotule" mean?
As a noun, "rotule" means: Petit os plat, triangulaire, à angles arrondis, placé en avant du genou, à l’endroit où le fémur s’articule avec le tibia.
What words are commonly confused with "rotule"?
"rotule" is commonly confused with "rule", "roué", "route". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rotule"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rotule" is \ʁɔ.tyl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rotule" come from?
"rotule" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “rotule”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is R-O-T-U-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁɔ.tyl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “rule” - see the side-by-side comparison. rotule vs rule
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list