rodvsrunTell them apart

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

Which to use

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

#21,826
“rod” frequency rank
#15,221
“run” frequency rank
37047
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rod run
Definition Rueda. Correr.

Where the eye mixes rod and run

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

3 ch
rod
3 ch
run

Why the eye confuses rod with run

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rod is [ˈroːt] 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 37047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rod is recorded at frequency rank #21,826, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈroːt]. 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 37047, this pair ranks #177,394 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of rod vs run

Shared letters: r. Private to "rod": do. Private to "run": nu.

"rod" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "run" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "rod" and "run" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "rod" is a noun and "run" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "rod" or "run" show up more?
"run" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,221 in our Spanish list, against #21,826 for "rod". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "rod" 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 #177,394 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "rod" and "run" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rod vs rum". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #177,394 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