realisevsreviseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“realise” and “revise” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,625
“realise” frequency rank
#15,492
“revise” frequency rank
20117
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature realise revise
Definition Non-Oxford British standard spelling of realize. To review, alter and amend, especially of written material.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set realise and revise apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
realise
6 ch
revise

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

realise and revise are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20117, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

realise is recorded at frequency rank #4,625, classified as averb. revise is at rank #15,492, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈvaɪz/.

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 20117, this pair ranks #433,347 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of realise vs revise

Shared letters: eirs. Private to "realise": al. Private to "revise": v.

"realise" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV  ·  "revise" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • realiseeralise · raelise · reailse · realies · realisse · reallise · realsie · relaise
  • reviseervise · reivse · revies · revisse · revsie · revvise · rrevise · rveise

Frequency comparison

realise#4,625
revise#15,492

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "realise" and "revise" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "realise" or "revise"?
"realise" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,625 in our English list, against #15,492 for "revise". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering realise vs revise

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “realise” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list