Which to use
“reap” is a verb and “rep” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,394
- “reap” frequency rank
- #3,975
- “rep” frequency rank
- 18369
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reap | rep |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To cut (for example a grain) with a sickle, scythe, or reaping machine | Clipping of reputation. |
Where the eye mixes reap and rep
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: reap vs rep
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: reap is /ɹiːp/ while rep is /ɹɛp/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18369, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reap is recorded at frequency rank #14,394, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹiːp/. rep is at rank #3,975, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɛp/.
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 18369, this pair ranks #445,352 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of reap vs rep
Shared letters: epr. Private to "reap": a. Private to "rep": -.
"reap" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "rep" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- reap ← erap · reapp · repa · rreap
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "reap" and "rep" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "reap" or "rep"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "reap" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rep" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #445,352 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "reap" and "rep" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reap vs Rua". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #445,352 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.