# race vs rail

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### race
*noun · IPA /ɹeɪs/ · frequency rank #882*
A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective.

### rail
*noun · IPA /ɹeɪ(ə)l/ · frequency rank #3,579*
A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/race-vs-rail