resvsrunWhich spelling fits?

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

Which to use

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

#9,811
“res” frequency rank
#309
“run” frequency rank
10120
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature res run
Definition plural of re To move swiftly.

Where the eye mixes res and run

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
res
3 ch
run

Look-alike desk: res vs run

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: res is /ɹeɪz/ while run is /ɹʌn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10120, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

res is recorded at frequency rank #9,811, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹeɪz/. 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 10120, this pair ranks #493,902 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of res vs run

Shared letters: r. Private to "res": es. Private to "run": nu.

"res" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "run" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "res" for "run" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "res" is a noun and "run" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "res" or "run"?
"run" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #309 in our English list, against #9,811 for "res". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "res" 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 #493,902 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "res" and "run" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "res vs Rua". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #493,902 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