Which to use
“re” is a particle and “red” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,150
- “re” frequency rank
- #1,935
- “red” frequency rank
- 6085
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | re | red |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | beim Solmisieren oder Solfeggieren benutzte Silbe zum Singen eines bestimmten Tons aus der Tonleiter | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs reden |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set re and red apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
re and red form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “re” sits inside “red” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
re is recorded at frequency rank #4,150, classified as aparticle, pronounced [ʁeː]. red is at rank #1,935, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʁeːt].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 6085, this pair ranks #1,992,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "re" and "red" be used interchangeably?
Remembering re vs red
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a particle, it's “re”; for a verb, it's “red”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “re” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable