revvsrezWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#5,912
“rev” frequency rank
#45,052
“rez” frequency rank
50964
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rev rez
Definition To increase the speed of a motor, or to operate at a higher speed. Clipping of reservation or reserve (semiautonomous Indigenous territory).

Where the eye mixes rev and rez

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

3 ch
rev
3 ch
rez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rev is /ɹɛv/ while rez is /ɹɛz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - v in “rev” becomes z in “rez”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50964, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rev is recorded at frequency rank #5,912, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɛv/. rez is at rank #45,052, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɛz/.

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 50964, this pair ranks #169,568 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of rev vs rez

Shared letters: er. Private to "rev": v. Private to "rez": z.

"rev" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "rez" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rev" and "rez" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "rev" is a verb and "rez" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "rev" or "rez"?
"rev" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,912 in our English list, against #45,052 for "rez". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list