resellvsresoldWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“resell” and “resold” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#31,731
“resell” frequency rank
#39,060
“resold” frequency rank
70791
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature resell resold
Definition To sell again. simple past and past participle of resell

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set resell and resold apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
resell
6 ch
resold

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. resell (/ɹiːˈsɛl/) and resold (/ˌɹiːˈsəʊld/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70791, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

resell is recorded at frequency rank #31,731, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹiːˈsɛl/. resold is at rank #39,060, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˌɹiːˈsəʊld/.

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 70791, this pair ranks #49,159 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of resell vs resold

Shared letters: elrs. Private to "resell": -. Private to "resold": do.

"resell" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "resold" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • resellersell · reesll · resel · reslel · ressell · rresell · rseell
  • resoldersold · reosld · reslod · resodl · resoldd · resolld · ressold · rresold

Frequency comparison

resell#31,731
resold#39,060

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "resell" and "resold" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ɹiːˈsɛl/ versus /ˌɹiːˈsəʊld/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "resell" or "resold"?
"resell" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,731 in our English list, against #39,060 for "resold". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering resell vs resold

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “resell” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list