# rune vs rust

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### rune
*noun · IPA /ɹuːn/ · frequency rank #28,704*
A letter, or character, used in the written language of various ancient Germanic peoples, especially the Scandinavians and the Anglo-Saxons.

### rust
*noun · IPA /ɹʌst/ · frequency rank #10,604*
The deteriorated state of iron or steel as a result of moisture and oxidation; it consists mostly of iron(III) oxide (ferric oxide) and iron(II) oxide (ferrous oxide).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rune-vs-rust