# speak vs spread

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### speak
*verb · IPA /spiːk/ · frequency rank #1,004*
To communicate with one's voice, to say words out loud.

### spread
*verb · IPA /spɹɛd/ · frequency rank #1,650*
To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.

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