reyvsrunTell them apart

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

Which to use

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

#492
“rey” frequency rank
#15,221
“run” frequency rank
15713
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rey run
Definition Monarca soberano de un reino. Correr.

Where the eye mixes rey and run

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
rey
3 ch
run

Look-alike desk: rey vs run

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rey is [ˈrej] while run is /ɹʌn/. 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 15713, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rey is recorded at frequency rank #492, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈrej]. run is at rank #15,221, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹʌn/.

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 15713, this pair ranks #279,062 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of rey vs run

Shared letters: r. Private to "rey": ey. Private to "run": nu.

"rey" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "run" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "rey" and "run" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "rey" is a noun and "run" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "rey" or "run" show up more?
"rey" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #492 in our Spanish list, against #15,221 for "run". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "rey" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "run" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #279,062 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "rey" and "run" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ruano vs run". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #279,062 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