Which to use
“ree” and “reeve” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,193
- “ree” frequency rank
- #32,556
- “reeve” frequency rank
- 69749
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ree | reeve |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative form of rei (“Portuguese real”). | Any of several local officials, with varying responsibilities. |
Where the eye mixes ree and reeve
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between ree and reeve
A purely visual mix-up. ree (/ɹiː/) and reeve (/ɹiːv/) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “ree” sits inside “reeve”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69749, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ree is recorded at frequency rank #37,193, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹiː/. 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 69749, this pair ranks #53,293 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ree vs reeve
Shared letters: er. Private to "ree": -. Private to "reeve": v.
"ree" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "reeve" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- reeve ← ereve · reeev · reevve · reve · revee · rreeve
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ree" for "reeve" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ree" or "reeve"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ree" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reeve" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,293 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ree" and "reeve" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ree 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 #53,293 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.