Which to use
“res” is a verb and “roy” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,853
- “res” frequency rank
- #3,220
- “roy” frequency rank
- 16073
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | res | roy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe rêtre. | De 1694 à 1740 : Orthographe de l’Académie française de roi. |
Where the eye mixes res and roy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between res and roy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: res is \ʁɛ\ while roy is \ʁwa\. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16073, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
res is recorded at frequency rank #12,853, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁɛ\. roy is at rank #3,220, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁwa\.
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 16073, this pair ranks #389,516 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of res vs roy
Shared letters: r. Private to "res": es. Private to "roy": oy.
"res" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "roy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "res" and "roy" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "res" or "roy"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "res" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "roy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #389,516 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "res" and "roy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "res vs Rhys". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #389,516 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.