Which to use
“ríe” is a verb and “río” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,215
- “ríe” frequency rank
- #698
- “río” frequency rank
- 10913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ríe | río |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de reír o de reírse. | Corriente de agua de caudal importante que discurre por tierra desde un manantial, una masa de hielos o un lago. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ríe and río apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ríe is [ˈrie] while río is [ˈrio]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “ríe” becomes o in “río”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10913, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ríe is recorded at frequency rank #10,215, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈrie]. río is at rank #698, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈrio].
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 10913, this pair ranks #296,911 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ríe vs río
Shared letters: rí. Private to "ríe": e. Private to "río": o.
"ríe" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "río" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ríe" and "río" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ríe" or "río"?
Remembering ríe vs río
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ríe”; for a noun, it's “río”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ríe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable