Role vs Roll
The difference between role and roll is very obvious if you look at their meanings. Role and Roll are two words used in the English language that are often confused due to the similarity in their pronunciation. It is interesting to note that both the words are pronounced alike, but they indeed have different usages and meanings. The word role is used in the sense of ‘function or a job of person or thing.’ Other than that the word role is also used to indicate ‘character. On the other hand, the word roll is used in the sense of ‘move by turning over.’ This is the main difference between the two words, namely role and roll. It is interesting to note that the word role is used as a noun. On the other hand, the word roll is used both as a verb and as a noun, but with different meanings. Let us examine the definitions and meanings of each word and from that identify the difference between role and roll.
What does Role mean?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word role has mainly three definitions that are used in different situations. They are ‘the function or position that somebody has or is expected to have in an organization, in society or in a relationship,’ ‘an actor’s part in a play, film/movie, etc.,’ and ‘the degree to which somebody/something is involved in a situation or an activity and the effect that they have on it.’
Let’s analyse the meaning of the first definition of the word role. Here, the word role is used in the sense of ‘function or a job of person or thing.’ Take a look at the following sentence.
Your role as the teacher is imparting knowledge to the children.
Here, the world role means ‘function’ or ‘job.’ As a result, the meaning of the sentence is ‘your job as the teacher is imparting knowledge to the children.’ According to the second definition, the word role is used to indicate ‘character.’ Look at the following two sentences.
Francis donned the role of Julius Caesar in the play.
Angela shone in the role of Portia.
In both the sentences, the word role is used in the sense of ‘part’ or ‘character.’ Hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘Francis donned the part of Julius Caesar in the play.’ In the same manner, the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘Angela shone in the character of Portia.’ Now, have a look the following sentence.
The media has a very important role in influencing people’s ideas.
In this example, role is used in the sense ‘the degree to which somebody/something is involved in a situation.’ So, the sentence is saying that when it comes to influencing people’s ideas media has a huge part to play.
On the other hand, the word role is often followed by the preposition ‘of’ as you can see from the examples given above. Moreover, the word role has no verbal form. It is used only as a noun.
‘Angela shone in the role of Portia’
What does Roll mean?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, when the word roll is used as a noun it can have several definitions. They are ‘roll (of something) a long piece of paper, cloth, film, etc. that has been wrapped around itself or a tube several times so that it forms the shape of a tube,’ ‘a small loaf of bread for one person,’ ‘an official list of names,’ and ‘roll (of something) a deep continuous sound.’ According to the Oxford English dictionary, as a verb roll has the definition ‘turn over.’
The word roll when used as a noun gives the meaning of ‘deep reverberation or rumble’ as in the sentence ‘I heard a roll of thunder in the distance.’ In this sentence, the word roll is used as a noun. There are other meanings for roll when used as a noun too. Observe the sentences given below.
Robert rolled the ball on the ground.
Francis asked his son to roll the carpet.
I was late for roll call.
Do you want butter with your roll?
In both of the first two sentences, the word roll is used in the sense of ‘move by turning over.’ That is because when we take roll as a verb, it is used in the sense ‘move by turning over.’ Hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘Robert move the ball on the ground by turning it over.’ Similarly, the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘Francis asked his son to move the carpet by turning it over.’ As a matter of fact, the word roll, when used as a verb, is often followed by the preposition ‘on’ as you can see from the examples given above.
In the third sentence, roll is used as a noun that carries the meaning ‘list of names.’ The meaning of the third sentence then would be ‘I was late for the marking of names.’ In the fourth sentence, the word roll is used with the meaning ‘a small round piece of bread.’ So, the meaning of the fourth sentence is ‘do you want butter with your small round piece of bread?’
The word roller is formed from the verb roll, and the other verbal forms are ‘rolling’ and ‘rolled.’
‘Do you want butter with your roll?’
What is the difference between Role and Roll?
• Definitions:
• Role:
• The function or position that somebody has or is expected to have in an organization, in society or in a relationship.
• An actor’s part in a play, film/movie, etc.
• The degree to which somebody/something is involved in a situation or an activity and the effect that they have on it.
• Roll:
• It forms the shape of a tube.
• A small loaf of bread for one person.
• An official list of names.
• Roll (of something) a deep continuous sound.
• Turn over.
• Meaning:
• The word role is used in the sense of ‘function or a job of person or thing.’ Other than that the word role is also used to indicate ‘character.’ It is also used in the sense of ‘effect on something.’
• Roll as a verb means moving by turning over. Roll as a noun means small round piece of bread, deep reverberation, or rumble and list of names.
• Part of Speech:
• Role is used as a noun.
• Roll is used as a verb and a noun.
• Grammar:
• Role is often followed by the preposition ‘of.’
• Roll is often followed by the preposition ‘on.’
These are the differences between the two words.
Images Courtesy:
- Portia, played by Deborah Kerr and James Mason as Marcus Brutus in the 1953 film Julius Caesar via Wikicommons (Public Domain)
- Sausage rolls by CC BY-SA 3.0)
That was VERY helpful!
I am 78 and while journaling found I wasn’t sure which word to use, role or roll.
That bothered me as I recalled getting red letter corrections on a lesson plan I did as a student teacher way back when! Sadly I don’t remember all the good comments about my plan or it’s execution. In fact I DONT REMEMBER THE WOMDERFUL LESSON that could have been used later on.
All that to say I won’t have to roll about in bed tonight over that one, and i will be quite refreshed when enjoying my breakfast roll in the morning….so I can be that much more relaxed in my roles as house wife, volunteer, and budding writer/artist.
Thank you so much!