Which to use
“ran” is a verb and “Roy” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,290
- “ran” frequency rank
- #8,311
- “Roy” frequency rank
- 32601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ran | Roy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pasado simple (irregular) del verbo (to) run. | Apellido. |
Where the eye mixes ran and Roy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ran and Roy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ran is /ɹæn/ while Roy is [ʁɔj]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32601, 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/. Roy is at rank #8,311, tagged as aname, pronounced [ʁɔj].
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 32601, this pair ranks #201,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ran vs Roy
Shared letters: r. Private to "ran": an. Private to "Roy": oy.
"ran" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Roy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ran" and "Roy" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ran" vs "Roy" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "Roy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #201,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ran" and "Roy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rajo vs ran". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #201,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.