rouille

\ʁuj\

/\ʁuj\/ noun

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

The verdict

“rouille” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #19,664 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,664
frequency rank, French
7
letters
7
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Matière friable, composée d’hydroxyde de fer, qui se forme sur les métaux ferreux par oxydation au contact de l’eau et de l’air.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

rouille vs roulé
57% similar
rouille vs ruelle
71% similar
rouille vs roulée
71% similar

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

Key facts for rouille
PropertyValue
Headwordrouille
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁuj\
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,664
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rouille” 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). rouille 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 rouille is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁuj\. Corpus data places it at rank #19,664 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for rouille, with forms such as "oruille", "roiulle", and "rouile". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "roulé", "ruelle", "roulée", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is rouille, spelled R-O-U-I-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Matière friable, composée d’hydroxyde de fer, qui se forme sur les métaux ferreux par oxydation au contact de l’eau et de l’air.
  2. 2
    Le fait de se transformer en rouille, pour un objet en fer ou en acier. Le processus de transformation.
  3. 3
    Oxyde de cuivre et oxyde de quelques autres métaux.
  4. 4
    Les parties d’une glace où le tain est altéré, terni par l’humidité.
  5. 5
    Les causes d’altération, de dégradation, de vétusté.
  6. 6
    Couleur évoquant celle de la rouille.
  7. 7
    Sauce froide provençale qui accompagne la soupe de poisson ou la bouillabaisse.
  8. 8
    Maladie cryptogamique des végétaux supérieurs, dont il existe de nombreuses variantes.

This word in other languages

rust(English)herrumbre(Español)Rost(Deutsch)ferrugem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: oruille,roiulle,rouile,rouilel,roulile,rrouille,ruoille

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oruille2roiulle2rouile1rouilel2roulile2rrouille1ruoille2
Edit distance from "rouille"

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 "rouille"?
"rouille" is spelled R-O-U-I-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁuj\.
What does "rouille" mean?
As a noun, "rouille" means: Matière friable, composée d’hydroxyde de fer, qui se forme sur les métaux ferreux par oxydation au contact de l’eau et de l’air.
What words are commonly confused with "rouille"?
"rouille" is commonly confused with "roulé", "ruelle", "roulée". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rouille"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rouille" is \ʁuj\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rouille" come from?
"rouille" 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 “rouille”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is R-O-U-I-L-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁuj\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “roulé” - see the side-by-side comparison. rouille vs roulé
  • 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