# rear vs ref

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### rear
*verb · IPA /ɹɪɹ/ · frequency rank #3,449*
To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster.

### ref
*noun · IPA /ɹɛf/ · frequency rank #7,730*
Clipping of referee.

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