Which to use
“receive” is a verb and “reeve” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,496
- “receive” frequency rank
- #32,556
- “reeve” frequency rank
- 34052
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | receive | reeve |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To be given, sent, or paid something. | Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities. |
Where the eye mixes receive and reeve
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: receive is /ɹɪˈsiːv/ while reeve is /ɹiːv/. 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 34052, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
receive is recorded at frequency rank #1,496, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈsiːv/. reeve is at rank #32,556, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹiːv/.
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 34052, this pair ranks #324,069 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of receive vs reeve
Shared letters: erv. Private to "receive": ci. Private to "reeve": -.
"receive" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "reeve" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV