Which to use
“race” is a noun and “reach” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #882
- “race” frequency rank
- #1,233
- “reach” frequency rank
- 2115
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | race | reach |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective. | To extend, stretch, or thrust out (for example a limb or object held in the hand). |
Where the eye mixes race and reach
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: race is /ɹeɪs/ while reach is /ɹiːt͡ʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2115, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
race is recorded at frequency rank #882, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹeɪs/. reach is at rank #1,233, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹiːt͡ʃ/.
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 2115, this pair ranks #525,829 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of race vs reach
Shared letters: acer. Private to "race": -. Private to "reach": h.
"race" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "reach" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC