reservedvsreveredWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,352
“reserved” frequency rank
#18,678
“revered” frequency rank
24030
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reserved revered
Definition simple past and past participle of reserve simple past and past participle of revere

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reserved and revered apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
reserved
7 ch
revered

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reserved (/ɹɪˈzɝvd/) and revered (/ɹɪˈvɪə(ɹ)d/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reserved is recorded at frequency rank #5,352, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈzɝvd/. revered is at rank #18,678, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈvɪə(ɹ)d/.

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 24030, this pair ranks #404,982 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of reserved vs revered

Shared letters: derv. Private to "reserved": s. Private to "revered": -.

"reserved" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "revered" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reservederserved · reesrved · reserevd · reserrved · reservde · reservedd · reservved · resevred
  • reveredervered · reevred · reveerd · reverde · reveredd · reverred · revreed · revvered

Frequency comparison

reserved#5,352
revered#18,678

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reserved" and "revered" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ɹɪˈzɝvd/ versus /ɹɪˈvɪə(ɹ)d/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "reserved" or "revered"?
"reserved" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,352 in our English list, against #18,678 for "revered". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reserved vs revered

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 “reserved” 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