Which to use
“re” is a preposition and “run” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #593
- “re” frequency rank
- #309
- “run” frequency rank
- 902
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | re | run |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | About, regarding, with reference to; especially in letters, documents, emails and case law. | To move swiftly. |
Where the eye mixes re and run
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between re and run
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: re is /ɹiː/ while run is /ɹʌn/. 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 (preposition vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 902, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
re is recorded at frequency rank #593, classified as aprep, pronounced /ɹiː/. run is at rank #309, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹʌn/.
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 902, this pair ranks #528,539 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of re vs run
Shared letters: r. Private to "re": e. Private to "run": nu.
"re" · 2 letters · shape CV · "run" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "re" for "run" ever safe?
Frequency check: "re" vs "run" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "re" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "run" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #528,539 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "re" and "run" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "re vs Rua". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #528,539 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.