Which to use
“rece” is a verb and “rehén” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,335
- “rece” frequency rank
- #19,545
- “rehén” frequency rank
- 57880
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rece | rehén |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de rezar. | Persona retenida en contra de su voluntad por otros, normalmente para utilizarla como moneda de cambio por otra cosa. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rece and rehén apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rece is [ˈrese] while rehén is [reˈẽn]. 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 57880, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rece is recorded at frequency rank #38,335, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈrese]. rehén is at rank #19,545, tagged as anoun, pronounced [reˈẽn].
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 57880, this pair ranks #68,690 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of rece vs rehén
Shared letters: er. Private to "rece": c. Private to "rehén": hné.
"rece" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "rehén" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- rece ← erce · recce · reec · rese · rrece
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rece" and "rehén" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "rece" or "rehén"?
Remembering rece vs rehén
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “rece”; for a noun, it's “rehén”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rece” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable