Which to use
“ray” and “ru” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,350
- “ray” frequency rank
- #21,828
- “ru” frequency rank
- 28178
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ray | ru |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rayo. | Calle. |
Where the eye mixes ray and ru
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ray vs ru
A purely visual mix-up. ray (/ɹeɪ/) and ru (/ˈryː/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28178, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ray is recorded at frequency rank #6,350, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹeɪ/. 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 28178, this pair ranks #223,240 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ray vs ru
Shared letters: r. Private to "ray": ay. Private to "ru": u.
"ray" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "ru" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ray" and "ru" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ray" vs "ru" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ray" 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 #223,240 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ray" and "ru" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ru vs rulo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #223,240 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.