# real vs ret

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### real
*adjective · IPA /ɹiːl/ · frequency rank #229*
True, genuine, not merely nominal or apparent.

### 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: 2026-09-02.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/real-vs-ret