Which to use
“ran” is a verb and “ru” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,290
- “ran” frequency rank
- #21,828
- “ru” frequency rank
- 46118
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ran | ru |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pasado simple (irregular) del verbo (to) run. | Calle. |
Where the eye mixes ran and ru
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ran with ru
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ran is /ɹæn/ while ru is /ˈryː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 46118, 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/. ru is at rank #21,828, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈryː/.
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 46118, this pair ranks #127,568 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ran vs ru
Shared letters: r. Private to "ran": an. Private to "ru": u.
"ran" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "ru" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ran" and "ru" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ran" or "ru" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ru" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #127,568 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ran" and "ru" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rajo vs ran". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #127,568 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.