Which to use
“rey” is a noun and “roo” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #492
- “rey” frequency rank
- #13,787
- “roo” frequency rank
- 14279
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rey | roo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Monarca soberano de un reino. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de roer. |
Where the eye mixes rey and roo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between rey and roo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rey is [ˈrej] while roo is [ˈroo]. 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 14279, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rey is recorded at frequency rank #492, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈrej]. roo is at rank #13,787, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈroo].
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 14279, this pair ranks #284,741 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of rey vs roo
Shared letters: r. Private to "rey": ey. Private to "roo": o.
"rey" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "roo" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "rey" for "roo" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "rey" or "roo" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "rey" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "roo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #284,741 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rey" and "roo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rajo vs roo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #284,741 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.