Wrote and rote are two words that are pronounced the same way but are spelled differently and have different definitions. We will look at the difference in meaning between the words wrote and rote, where the words come from and some examples of their use in sentences.
Wrote is the past tense of the word write, which means to make symbols on a surface, usually paper, with a pen, pencil, crayon or other writing implement. Write also means to compose a literary work, compose a musical work or compose and send a letter. In Canada and South Africa, write means to take a test. Wrote is a transitive verb which is a verb that takes an object, related words are write, writes, writing, written. The word wrote comes from the Old English word wrat, which means to draw or outline.
Rote means a habitual procedure, repeating something mechanically until learned or committed to memory. Rote learning does not require understanding the subject, it only requires memorization and repetition. The word rote is derived from the fourteenth-century phrase bi rote, which means by heart.
Examples
Previously, the group had only said the “Better Man” was from “a young girl in Nashville who wrote it by herself,” according to Fairchild, and that it was the first time Swift had ever pitched anyone else a song. (The Rolling Stone Magazine)
Over nine months between December 18, 2015, and September 6, 2016, Fevre wrote cheques in her role as treasurer of Bizlink but did not pay them to the businesses listed on the cheque butts, Hickey said. (The Taranaki Daily News)
Hard lessons – As children get caught in a rote trap, free thinking takes the back bench (The India Times)
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