REMvsroeConfusable pair

Quick tell: REM is a noun, roe is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“REM” is a noun and “roe” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,225
“REM” frequency rank
#39,442
“roe” frequency rank
74667
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature REM roe
Definition Fase del sueño durante la que suceden los ensueños más intensos. Durante esta fase, los ojos se mueven rápidamente y la actividad de las neuronas del cerebro se asemeja a la de cuando se está despierto. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de roer.

Where the eye mixes REM and roe

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. REM (CVC) and roe (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

3 ch
REM
3 ch
roe

Look-alike desk: REM vs roe

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: REM is [ˈrẽm] while roe is [ˈroe]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74667, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

REM is recorded at frequency rank #35,225, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈrẽm]. roe is at rank #39,442, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈroe].

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 74667, this pair ranks #20,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of REM vs roe

Shared letters: er. Private to "REM": m. Private to "roe": o.

"REM" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "roe" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "REM" for "roe" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "REM" is a noun and "roe" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "REM" or "roe"?
"REM" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,225 in our Spanish list, against #39,442 for "roe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "REM" and "roe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "REM" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "roe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #20,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "REM" and "roe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "roe vs rum". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #20,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list