remavsrutaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“rema” and “ruta” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#45,570
“rema” frequency rank
#1,792
“ruta” frequency rank
47362
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rema ruta
Definition En la gramática discursiva, parte de la oración que desarrolla el asunto al que el discurso ya hacía referencia, llamado por contraposición tema. En la mayoría de los casos coincide con la información nueva aportada por la oración o cláusula, y corresponde secuencialmente a la parte que sucede al tema. Faja de terreno despejado y, habitualmente, acondicionado, para el tránsito de personas y vehículos.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
rema
4 ch
ruta

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. rema ([ˈrema]) and ruta ([ˈrut̪a]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47362, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rema is recorded at frequency rank #45,570, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈrema]. ruta is at rank #1,792, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈrut̪a].

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 47362, this pair ranks #120,462 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of rema vs ruta

Shared letters: ar. Private to "rema": em. Private to "ruta": tu.

"rema" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "ruta" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • remaerma · ream · remma · rmea · rrema
  • rutarruta · rtua · ruat · rutta · urta

Frequency comparison

rema#45,570
ruta#1,792

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rema" and "ruta" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈrema] versus [ˈrut̪a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "rema" or "ruta"?
"ruta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,792 in our Spanish list, against #45,570 for "rema". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering rema vs ruta

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rema” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list