# read vs ret

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### read
*verb · IPA /ɹiːd/ · frequency rank #266*
To look at and interpret letters or other information that is written.

### ret
*verb · IPA /ɹɛt/ · frequency rank #23,085*
To prepare (flax, hemp etc.) for further processing by soaking, which facilitates separation of fibers from the woody parts of the stem.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/read-vs-ret