Which to use
“ruff” and “runoff” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,272
- “ruff” frequency rank
- #14,404
- “runoff” frequency rank
- 41676
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ruff | runoff |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s). | That portion of precipitation or irrigation on an area which does not infiltrate or evaporate, but instead is discharged from the area. |
Letter map: ruff vs runoff
Shared letters muted; letters that set ruff and runoff apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.
Corpus notes: ruff and runoff
ruff and runoff are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41676, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ruff is recorded at frequency rank #27,272, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹʌf/. runoff is at rank #14,404, tagged as anoun.
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 41676, this pair ranks #256,093 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ruff vs runoff
Shared letters: fru. Private to "ruff": -. Private to "runoff": no.
"ruff" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "runoff" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ruff" and "runoff" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ruff" or "runoff"?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "ruff" and "runoff".
- Full dictionary entry for "ruff" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "runoff" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #256,093 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ruff" and "runoff" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Rua vs ruff". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #256,093 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.