Which to use
“recede” is a verb and “reed” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #41,339
- “recede” frequency rank
- #6,406
- “reed” frequency rank
- 47745
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recede | reed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To move back; to retreat; to withdraw. | Any of various types of tall stiff perennial grass-like plants growing together in groups near water. |
Where the eye mixes recede and reed
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: recede vs reed
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: recede is /ɹɪˈsiːd/ while reed is /ɹiːd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 47745, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recede is recorded at frequency rank #41,339, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈsiːd/. reed is at rank #6,406, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹiːd/.
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 47745, this pair ranks #199,613 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of recede vs reed
Shared letters: der. Private to "recede": c. Private to "reed": -.
"recede" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "reed" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "recede" for "reed" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "recede" or "reed" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "recede" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reed" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #199,613 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "recede" and "reed" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "recede vs reedy". 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 #199,613 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.