Which to use
“reap” and “rip” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,394
- “reap” frequency rank
- #4,630
- “rip” frequency rank
- 19024
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reap | rip |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To cut (for example a grain) with a sickle, scythe, or reaping machine | To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence. |
Where the eye mixes reap and rip
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: reap vs rip
A purely visual mix-up. reap (/ɹiːp/) and rip (/ɹɪp/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19024, 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/. rip is at rank #4,630, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪp/.
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 19024, this pair ranks #441,012 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of reap vs rip
Shared letters: pr. Private to "reap": ae. Private to "rip": i.
"reap" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "rip" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- reap ← erap · reapp · repa · rreap
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "reap" and "rip" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "reap" vs "rip" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "rip" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #441,012 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "reap" and "rip" 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 #441,012 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.