The word roll came from Middle English and means a small wheel. A role is a noun that means a part to play or a job to do. For good measure, I have included a chart that shows the relative usage of role call vs. roll call in English since 1800: Congress’s Election Role vs. Supreme Court’s There is no constitutional language that grants Congress the power to adjudicate disputes about which electoral slates should be properly recognized. What does role mean? A roll can also be a list of all a group’s members. Break Down: How to Choose the Right Word, Afterward vs. Afterword: How to Choose the Right Word, Threw, Through, and Thru: How to Choose the Right Word, Lightening vs. To be fleshed out as rules are edited. And since variations of the dish have been made across thousands of miles in Asia over the span of centuries, there are numerous fillings and methods used to create the ever-diverse spring roll. –. That apparently derived from an Old French word, roll, referring to a roll of paper on which was written the text an actor had to learn for his or her part. Role and roll both have multiple meanings. Here are some of them: Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. These words are called homophones. Roll and role are prominent homophones that, while they are pronounced the same, nonetheless have separate meanings. Break: How to Choose the Right Word, Right, Rite, Wright, and Write: How to Choose the Right Word, Premier vs. Glamor or Glamour – What’s the Difference? The words roll and role are homophones, which means they sound alike but have different meanings. The results of many of these actions can be a noun form of roll. Role relates to people’s functions and to parts played by performers. The children rolled down the hill, laughing on their way down. Role is a noun that refers to a character played by a performer or a part that a person has in another activity, such as an argument, or in a familial, religious, governmental, civic, or military hierarchy. Hence, you would roll up the roll. Role is always a noun. Roll Playing and Role Playing. This page has example sentences to explain the difference and an interactive exercise. It also can mean to wrap a flat, flexible object around itself several times to form a cylinder or cone. Roll can also be a verb, where it means to move by turning something over itself or to bend something over itself to form a cylindrical shape. A role is an 'actor's portrayal of a character' or 'a job or function.' Course: How to Choose the Right Word, Cue vs. Queue: How to Choose the Right Word, Breath vs. Breathe: How to Choose the Right Word, Breakdown vs. Wellbeing or Well-Being – Which is Correct? both are valid not a platform war. As a verb, roll can mean to move on wheels or by turning over (or simply to move at all), or to spin, wrap, or throw along the ground or floor. The verb 'to roll' usually means 'to move by rotating.' 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. Roll has many denotations, primarily involving spinning or moving, while role means just one thing: The part you play in a movie or a play or, by extension, your function in any other activity. In his new role as production manager, Blake will oversee all day-to-day operations of the shop floor. As nouns the difference between roll and role is that roll is the act of rolling, or state of being rolled while role is a character or part played by a performer or actor. It means a part in a movie or play, or a job to do. This memory tool should help remind you not to use role in either of these contexts. Roll can be a noun that refers to a food item, like in the following examples. The words roll and role are homophones, which means they sound alike but have different meanings. Thus, despite being homophones, role and roll have different meanings, and cannot be freely interchanged in the phrase roll call. Roll can also be a verb that means to turn something over itself into a tight bundle. This means we strive to lessen the technical burden on the participants, facilitate the formation of new gaming groups, and to make barriers to entry as few as … As nouns the difference between roll and role is that roll is the act of rolling, or state of being rolled while role is a character or part played by a performer or actor. Lightning: How to Choose the Right Word, Affect vs. Effect: How to Choose the Right Word, Desert vs. Dessert: How to Choose the Right Word, Aid vs. Aide: How to Choose the Right Word, Chord vs. Cord: How to Choose the Right Word, Gray or Grey: How to Choose the Right Word, Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia, M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester, B.A., English, State University of New York. The final L of “role” and “roll” is NOT pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth right behind the teeth in standard British English, be it Received Pronunciation (RP) or Estuary English. Is it role or roll? You can remember that roll is a list of names by imagining yourself writing that list down on paper, and rolling it up into a bundle. Is it role or roll? how they are the same and different. Role and roll both have multiple meanings. A tale of two systems. You can remember that roll is a list of names by imagining yourself writing that list down on paper, and rolling it up into a bundle. As a verb roll Plus, I will also show you a useful trick to help you decide whether to use role or roll in your writing. As a verb roll is (ergative) to cause to revolve by turning over and over; to move by turning on an axis; to impel forward by causing to turn over and over on a supporting surface. Roll call definition is - the act or an instance of calling off a list of names (as for checking attendance); also : a time for a roll call. Role is defined as a part or function. Roll also can be used to indicate a rising and falling noise, such as thunder; an undulating motion, such as waves; passing or elapsing time; moving in a circle or back and forth; having plenty of something, such as money; or a quarterback moving laterally. Role vs. roll. What does roll mean? 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., page 81: We have referred to the Bull many times, both in his astronomical aspect as pioneer of the Spring-Sun, and in his more direct rôle as plougher of the fields[.] Roll vs Role Playing. I will use each word in an example sentence, so you can see their proper contexts. As a noun, it may refer to a small portion of bread or to a list of names of people belonging to a group, such as a school class. An actor might have a starring role in a summer blockbuster, or a valued employee might move into a more prestigious role at his or her company. Roll is broader, having many definitions, including (1) to move by repeatedly turning over, (2) to recur, (3) a register or catalogue, (4) a list of names, (5) a deep rumble, (6) a rapid succession of short sounds, and (7) a scrolled piece of parchment or paper.