Which to use
“red” is an adjective and “rei” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,284
- “red” frequency rank
- #794
- “rei” frequency rank
- 4078
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | red | rei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vermelho, encarnado | soberano; monarca; czar |
Where the eye mixes red and rei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between red and rei
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: red is /red/ while rei is /ˈRɐj/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “red” becomes i in “rei”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
red is recorded at frequency rank #3,284, classified as anadj, pronounced /red/. rei is at rank #794, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈRɐj/.
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 4078, this pair ranks #70,943 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of red vs rei
Shared letters: er. Private to "red": d. Private to "rei": i.
"red" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "rei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "red" for "rei" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "red" or "rei" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "red" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #70,943 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "red" and "rei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rabi vs rei". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #70,943 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.