rakevsremakeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: rake is a noun, remake is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“rake” is a noun and “remake” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,699
“rake” frequency rank
#9,808
“remake” frequency rank
27507
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rake remake
Definition A garden tool with a row of pointed teeth fixed to a long handle, used for collecting debris, grass, etc., for flattening the ground, or for loosening soil; also, a similar wheel-mounted tool drawn by a horse or a tractor. To make again.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rake and remake apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
rake
6 ch
remake

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

rake and remake form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27507, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rake is recorded at frequency rank #17,699, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹeɪk/. remake is at rank #9,808, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹiːˈmeɪk/.

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 27507, this pair ranks #378,400 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

rake#17,699
remake#9,808

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rake" and "remake" be used interchangeably?
No, "rake" and "remake" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering rake vs remake

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “rake”; for a verb, it's “remake”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rake” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list