Roll Call or Role Call: Which Spelling Is Correct?

If you’re wondering whether to write roll call or role call, you’re not alone. Many words in the English language are tricky to spell, including this one.

So, which spelling are you supposed to use?

The correct spelling is roll call, with two Ls.

Read on to learn more about how to spell the phrase roll call correctly.

Roll Call Definition

The phrase roll call is a noun that refers to the process of saying a list of people’s names to figure out who’s present and who’s absent.

Many schools take roll call at the start of class as a way of checking attendance. Other institutions, like workplaces and social organizations, might also take roll call.

Is It Role Call or Roll Call?

The word roll call is spelled with two Ls. You should never use the spelling role call—that’s not a real English phrase.   

Here are a few examples of what the correct and incorrect spellings look like:

Incorrect: There were two employees missing at role call this morning.

Correct: There were two employees missing at roll call this morning.

Incorrect: We don’t need to do a role call because our class is so small.

Correct: We don’t need to do a roll call because our class is so small.

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Do You Take Roll or Take Role?

The phrase take roll has a similar meaning to roll call. It’s a verb that refers to the process of calling out people’s names to see who’s present.

Just like with roll call, the correct spelling of take roll is with two L’s. Take role isn’t a real phrase—it’s just a common misspelling.

Here are a few examples of what the correct and incorrect spellings look like:

Incorrect: I’m glad my teacher forgot to take role the day I skipped class.

Correct: I’m glad my teacher forgot to take roll the day I skipped class.

Incorrect: We haven’t officially taken role yet, but it looks like everyone’s here.  

Correct: We haven’t officially taken roll yet, but it looks like everyone’s here. 

Examples of Roll Call in Sentences

The best way to remember how to use a word is to see it in action! Here are some example sentences including the phrase roll call from popular English books.

“When Ms. Adams took attendance and called out the name of an absent classmate, Noah’s hand shot up. I watched him cautiously. After she finished roll call, Noah stood, completely unselfconscious as heads followed his progress to the front of the room.”—The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

“What is your personal carrying capacity for grief, rage, despair? We are living in a period of mass extinction. The numbers stand at 200 species a day. That's 73,000 a year. This culture is oblivious to their passing, feels entitled to their every last niche, and there is no roll call on the nightly news.”—Deep Green Resistance: Strategy to Save the Planet by Lierre Keith

If you’re not sure you’re spelling roll call or other tricky words correctly, you can always run your work through ProWritingAid. The spell checker will catch spelling errors and help you correct them with a single click!