Which to use
“ran” is a verb and “ratón” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,290
- “ran” frequency rank
- #8,860
- “ratón” frequency rank
- 33150
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ran | ratón |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pasado simple (irregular) del verbo (to) run. | Cualquiera de las numerosas especies de roedores de la familia de los múridos, similares a las ratas pero de tamaño más pequeño. Tienen el hocico puntiagudo, orejas apantalladas y la cola larga. Son muchas veces comensales del ser humano o plagas de los cultivos, y algunas especies son domésticas. |
Where the eye mixes ran and ratón
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ran vs ratón
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ran is /ɹæn/ while ratón is [raˈt̪õn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ran is recorded at frequency rank #24,290, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹæn/. ratón is at rank #8,860, tagged as anoun, pronounced [raˈt̪õn].
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 33150, this pair ranks #198,340 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ran vs ratón
Shared letters: anr. Private to "ran": -. Private to "ratón": tó.
"ran" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "ratón" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ran" for "ratón" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ran" or "ratón"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ratón" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #198,340 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ran" and "ratón" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rajo vs ran". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #198,340 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.