Which to use
“ran” is a verb and “re” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,437
- “ran” frequency rank
- #593
- “re” frequency rank
- 2030
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ran | re |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past of run | About, regarding, with reference to; especially in letters, documents, emails and case law. |
Where the eye mixes ran and re
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ran with re
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ran is /ɹæn/ while re is /ɹiː/. 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 (verb vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ran is recorded at frequency rank #1,437, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹæn/. re is at rank #593, tagged as aprep, pronounced /ɹiː/.
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 2030, this pair ranks #526,036 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ran vs re
Shared letters: r. Private to "ran": an. Private to "re": e.
"ran" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "re" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ran" and "re" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ran" vs "re" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "re" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #526,036 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ran" and "re" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ran vs Rua". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #526,036 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.