REMvsrunWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: REM is a noun, run is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“REM” is a noun and “run” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,207
“REM” frequency rank
#309
“run” frequency rank
20516
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature REM run
Definition Initialism of rapid eye movement. To move swiftly.

Letter map: REM vs run

Shared letters muted; letters that set REM and run apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.

3 ch
REM
3 ch
run

Part-of-speech tell for REM / run

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: REM is anoun and runaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20516, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

REM is recorded at frequency rank #20,207, classified as anoun. run is at rank #309, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹʌn/.

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 20516, this pair ranks #430,587 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of REM vs run

Shared letters: r. Private to "REM": em. Private to "run": nu.

"REM" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "run" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "REM" for "run" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "REM" is a noun and "run" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "REM" vs "run" - which ranks higher?
"run" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #309 in our English list, against #20,207 for "REM". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

You've compared "REM" and "run". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "REM" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "run" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #430,587 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "REM" and "run" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "REM vs Rua". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #430,587 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list