Which to use
“ran” is a verb and “runs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,437
- “ran” frequency rank
- #1,535
- “runs” frequency rank
- 2972
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ran | runs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past of run | plural of run |
Where the eye mixes ran and runs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ran vs runs
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ran is /ɹæn/ while runs is /ɹʌnz/. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2972, 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/. runs is at rank #1,535, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹʌnz/.
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 2972, this pair ranks #523,493 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ran vs runs
Shared letters: nr. Private to "ran": a. Private to "runs": su.
"ran" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "runs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- runs ← rnus · rruns · runns · runss · rusn · urns
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ran" for "runs" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ran" or "runs"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "runs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #523,493 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ran" and "runs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Rua vs runs". 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 #523,493 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.