Which to use
“raise” and “realise” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,836
- “raise” frequency rank
- #4,625
- “realise” frequency rank
- 6461
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | raise | realise |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To cause to rise; to lift or elevate. | Non-Oxford British standard spelling of realize. |
Letter map: raise vs realise
Shared letters muted; letters that set raise and realise apart highlighted. Shared run: 5. raise runs 5 letters (CVVCV) against realise's 7 (CVVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Pair insight - raise / realise
raise and realise are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
raise is recorded at frequency rank #1,836, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹeɪz/. realise is at rank #4,625, tagged as averb.
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 6461, this pair ranks #511,334 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of raise vs realise
Shared letters: aeirs. Private to "raise": -. Private to "realise": l.
"raise" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "realise" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "raise" and "realise" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "raise" or "realise"?
What to do next
Pair "raise" vs "realise" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "raise" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "realise" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #511,334 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "raise" and "realise" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "realise vs redline". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #511,334 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.