Word Confusion: Rote versus Wrote

Posted May 18, 2015 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Learning how to write and practicing letters day after day was very much a rote learning exercise in school. It does not mean, however, that rote and wrote are the same. Not even if the w is silent. To say they are the same would be like saying passing ground school is the same as flying the plane.

And it still doesn’t excuse a sentence such as “he rote letters to his love”. I’d feel as if he were forced to write those letters. That he was saying the same thing over and over without really meaning it.

If instead, he wrote those letters, I would feel very cherished.

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Exploring Later . . .

You may also want to explore “Right vs Rite vs Wright vs Write“.

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

If you found this post on “Rote versus Wrote” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

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Rote	Wrote
Robert Burns Woodward in 1965 is Dr Peter Geymayer’s own work at de.wikipedia and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — I do remember rote memorization of the table of elements.	Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany by Jean Bourdichon is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons with image restoration by Jebulon. — A book of hours commissioned by Anne of Brittany at a time when monks wrote books out by hand.
Part of Grammar:
Uncountable noun ¹, ²; Noun ³ Plural: rote	Morpheme: write Verb, intransitive & transitive Present tense verb: write Past tense: wrote Past participle: written Present participle: writing
Noun, uncountable: Mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned ¹ [Rare] The sound of the surf ² Noun: [Music] A medieval stringed instrument variably identified with a lyre, lute, or harp ³ A kind of guitar, the notes of which were produced by a small wheel or wheel-like arrangement An instrument similar to the hurdy-gurdy	Verb, intransitive: Mark letters, words, or other symbols on a surface, typically paper, with a pen, pencil, or similar implement Write in a cursive hand, as opposed to printing individual letters Compose, write, and send a letter to someone Compose a text or work for written or printed reproduction or publication Put into literary form and set down in writing Verb, transitive: Mark letters, words, or other symbols on a surface, typically paper, with a pen, pencil, or similar implement Fill out or complete (a sheet, check, or similar) in this way Compose, write, and send (a letter) to someone [Chiefly North American] Write and send a letter to someone) [write in] Write to an organization, especially a broadcasting station, with a question, suggestion, or opinion Compose a text or work for written or printed reproduction or publication Put into literary form and set down in writing Compose a musical work [write someone into/out of] Add or remove a character to or from a long-running story or series [Archaic] Describe in writing [Computing] Enter data into a specified storage medium or location in store Underwrite an insurance policy
Examples:
Noun, uncountable: There are so many things we learn by rote, from the alphabet to our multiplication tables to “i before e, except after c”. Practicing katas is a rote exercise intended to instill muscle memory. You are merely reciting facts you learned by rote. From the sound of the rote, a storm would soon be upon us. She slept with the rhythm of the rote in her dreams. Noun: In Lisbon, he played his rote for King John. “extracting mistuned dirges from their harps, crowds, and rotes” (Scott). “Well could he sing and play on a rote” (Chaucer).	Verb, intransitive: He wrote very neatly in blue ink. He couldn’t read or write. He wrote almost every day. He wrote in a cursive hand. He wrote under a pseudonym. Verb, transitive: He wrote his name on the paper. Alice wrote down the address. He had to write a check for $800. I wrote a letter to Alison. I wrote him a short letter. Mother wrote me and told me about poor Simon’s death. If you have a question or suggestion, write to us. I didn’t know you wrote poetry. He had written about the beauty of Andalucia. He has written a song specifically for her. Oh, no. The author wrote my favorite character out of the story! He wrote of the beauty of her eyes. He wrote code when he worked for IBM. Jamie underwrote an insurance policy for us.
Derivatives:
	Noun: writing
Phrasal Verb
	write something down write someone in write something (or someone) off write something up
History of the Word:
Middle English in the sense of habit, custom, and primarily of unknown origin. 1600–10; perhaps from the Old Norse rauta meaning roar. Middle English, from the Old French rote, of Germanic origin and related to the Old High German rotta, the Middle Dutch rotte.	Old English wrītan meaning score, form, as in letters by carving. It’s of Germanic origin and related to the German reissen meaning sketch, drag.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Rote versus Wrote

Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.

Apple Dictionary.com

Chaucer. “The Friar.” The Canterbury Tales. Xist Classic, 2015. <https://amzn.to/3Sq7xHu>. The original Canterbury Tales is a collection of twenty-four stories written between 1387 and 1400.

The Free Dictionary: rote

Scott, Walter. Ivanhoe. ‎ AmazonClassics, 2019. <https://amzn.to/3Chfqcx>.

Wordnik: rote

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