REM vs roe, What's the Difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set REM and roe apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

REM

3 ch

roe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

REM#35,225

roe#39,442

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "REM" and "roe" be used interchangeably?

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.

Remembering REM vs roe

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “REM”; for a verb, it's “roe”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “REM” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable