Rote means learning something through repetition until you can recall it automatically, without having to think about it. When you memorize your times tables by practicing them over and over, that's learning by rote. When you recite the Pledge of Allegiance without thinking about each word, you've learned it by rote.

The phrase rote memorization describes this kind of learning: drilling facts, formulas, or procedures until they stick in your memory. Students might use rote memorization to learn state capitals, spelling words, or the order of the planets. Musicians practice scales by rote until their fingers know exactly where to go.

Rote learning has a mixed reputation. It works well for certain things: you need to know basic math facts automatically so you can solve harder problems, and pianists need their fingers to remember common patterns. But rote learning alone doesn't help you understand what you're memorizing or know when to use it. Knowing by rote that 7 × 8 = 56 is useful, but understanding why multiplication works helps you solve new problems.

Teachers sometimes say students learned something “by rote” to suggest they memorized it without really understanding it, which can make the phrase sound slightly negative.