Which to use
“raw” is an adjective and “re” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,853
- “raw” frequency rank
- #593
- “re” frequency rank
- 3446
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | raw | re |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (of food) Not cooked. | About, regarding, with reference to; especially in letters, documents, emails and case law. |
Where the eye mixes raw and re
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses raw with re
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: raw is /ɹɔː/ 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 (adjective vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3446, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
raw is recorded at frequency rank #2,853, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɹɔː/. 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 3446, this pair ranks #522,082 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of raw vs re
Shared letters: r. Private to "raw": aw. Private to "re": e.
"raw" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "re" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "raw" and "re" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "raw" or "re"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "raw" 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 #522,082 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "raw" and "re" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "raw vs Rua". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #522,082 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.