A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- A rolling stone gathers no moss
- Absolve vs resolve
- Apprehensive vs reprehensive
- Arise or rise
- As right as rain
- Award vs reward
- Blow hot and cold
- Capitulate vs recapitulate
- Delegate vs relegate
- Democracy vs republic
- Duplicate vs replicate
- Feckless vs reckless
- Go to seed
- I rest my case
- Malware vs ransomware
- On your mark, get set, go! and ready, set, go!
- Rabble-rouser
- Rack one's brain
- Rack vs. wrackRack: to torture. Wrack: 1. to wreck; 2. wreckage.
- Racket vs. racquetRacket is the usual spelling, and racquet is mainly confined to contexts involving racquetball and squash.
- Raconteur
- Radicalfavoring revolutionary changes.
- Rail vs rale
- Rain, reign and rein
- Raining cats and dogs
- Raise Cain
- Raise one's hackles and get one's hackles up
- Raise the bar
- Raise vs rays
- Raise vs raze
- Raise vs rise
- Raison d'etrea reason for existence.
- Rake over the coals and haul over the coals
- Rambunctious
- Ramrod straight and ramrod through
- Ramshackle
- Rancor vs ranker
- Rancor vs. rancour
- Random act of kindness
- Randomize vs randomise
- Rank and file
- Rappel vs. repelRepel: 1. to ward off or drive back; 2. to cause aversion or distaste; 3. to present an opposing force. Rappel: to descend a vertical surface by sliding down a rope with a device that provides friction.
- Rapt vs. wraptRapt: deeply engrossed. Wrapt: an archaic past participle of wrap.
- Raring toextremely eager (to do something).
- Rat race
- Rational or rationale
- Ravaging vs. ravishingRavaging: the inflected form of ravage. Ravishing: very attractive.
- Raven vs ravenous
- Razzle-dazzle and razzmatazz
- Razzmatazz or razzamatazz
- Re-create vs. recreateThe hyphen is useful for avoiding confusion, but it is usually omitted.
- Reactionary vs. reactiveReactionary: very politically conservative. Reactive: 1. tending to react; 2. characterized by reaction.
- Read between the lines
- Read the riot act
- Real-time vs. real timeReal-time (or realtime is an adjective. Real time is a noun phrase.
- Realise vs. realizerealize in the U.S.; both spellings are common and considered standard outside the U.S.
- Realty vs reality
- Reappropriate1. to appropriate again; 2. to appropriate something negative and make it positive.
- Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic
- Rebel vs rebel
- Rebuke vs refute
- Rebus
- Rebut vs refute
- Recede vs reseed
- Receipt vs recipe
- Recent vs. resentRecent = occurring soon before the present. Resent = to feel bitter toward or aggrieved at.
- Recognize vs recognise
- Reconnoiter
- Recur vs. reoccurSomething that recurs happens repeatedly, perhaps at regular intervals. Something that reoccurs happens again, but not necessarily repeatedly or at regular intervals.
- Recuse vs excuse
- Red carpet
- Red flag
- Red herring1. a piece of information meant to mislead investigators; 2. a lead that turns out to be false; 3. something that diverts attention from the main issue.
- Red tapeinefficient bureaucratic rules and procedures that prevent timely action.
- Red vs read
- Red-letter day
- Redact vs retract
- Redneck vs hick vs hillbilly
- Redoubt
- Redress vs readdress
- Reed vs read
- Reek vs wreak
- Referendum
- Reforested wood
- Refugee vs immigrant
- Refuse vs refuse
- Regard vs. regardsThe traditional distinction holds that the singular form is correct in phrases like with regard to, while regards refers to good wishes, affection, etc. But the plural form is commonly used in phrases like with regards to.
- Regime vs. regimenRegimen: a systematic approach to diet, medicine, or exercise. Regime: 1. regimen; 2. a form of government; 3. a government in power.
- Regimen vs regiment
- Regrettable vs. regretfulRegrettable: causing regret or worthy of causing regret. Regretful: full of regret or expressing regret.
- Regulate vs relegate
- Reindeer or caribou
- Reinvent the wheel
- Rejig vs. rejigger
- Relevance vs. relevancyRelevancy is the original, but relevance is now preferred by a large margin.
- Reluctant vs reticent
- Remunerate vs. renumerateRemunerate: to pay for goods, services, or losses. Renumerate is a misspelling.
- Renascence and renaissance
- Rend or rent
- Renege vs rescind
- Repair vs reparation
- Repatriation vs reputation
- Repeal vs repeel
- Repel vs. repulseBoth mean to ward off or keep away, but repulse usually refers to physical actions, while repel is more likely to be used figuratively or to denote emotional states.
- Repertoire or repertory
- Repetition vs repetitiveness
- Repetitive vs redundant
- Repudiate vs refute
- Repugnant vs pungent
- Repute vs refute
- Reputedly vs reportedly
- Requiem
- Resemble vs reassemble
- Resign vs re-sign
- Resilience vs. resiliencyResiliency is the more common form.
- Resister vs resistor
- Resolve vs solve
- Respective, respectivelyThey often add nothing.
- Rest on one's laurels
- Rest vs wrest
- Restaurateur vs. restauranteurRestaurateur is generally considered the only correct spelling.
- Restitution vs retribution
- Restive
- Restrictive and nonrestrictive
- RetardIt is often considered offensive as a noun, though it's participle, retarded, does occasionally appear in medical contexts.
- Retch vs. wretchA wretch is an unhappy or unfortunate person. To retch is to vomit, to try to vomit, or to clear the throat.
- Retcon
- Retrograde vs anterograde or antegrade
- Retronym
- Retrospect vs introspect
- Reverent vs reverend
- Review vs. revueRevue: a form of light entertainment. Review also bears this definition along with its others.
- Rhetorical question
- Rhyme or reason
- Rhyme vs rime
- RiddedRid is uninflected.
- Ride on someone's coattails and coattail effect
- Ride roughshod and run roughshod
- Ride shotgun and call shotgun
- Rife vs. ripeRife: abundant. Ripe: 1. fully mature; 2. fully prepared to undergo something; 3. smelly.
- Riff vs. riftRiff: 1. a short, rhythmic phrase played on an instrument, especially in jazz, blues, or rock music; 2. a clever or inventive spoken commentary. Rift: 1. a narrow fissure; 2. a break in friendly relations
- Riffle vs rifle
- Riffraffa derogatory term for people the speaker considers socially inferior or undesirable.
- Riffraff vs riprap
- Right off the bat
- Right, rite or write
- Right-of-wayIn North America, it's usually hyphenated. Outside North America, it is not.
- Right-side up
- RightenRight works as a verb, so righten is superfluous.
- Rigmarole
- Rigor mortis
- Ring vs. wringWring: to twist, squeeze, or clasp firmly, especially to extract liquid. It's the spelling in wring one's neck.
- Ringleader
- Rings a bell
- Rip-off or rip off
- Riposte vs repost
- Riptide, rip current or undertow
- Rise like a phoenix from the ashes
- Risky vs risqué
- Rivaled/rivaling vs. rivalled/rivallingrivaled and rivaling in the U.S.; rivalled and rivalling everywhere else.
- Road kill or roadkill
- Road rage
- Road rash and gravel rash
- Road vs rode
- Roam vs Rome
- Rob Peter to pay Paul
- Robot, android or droid
- Rock 'n' roll, rock and roll, rock'n'roll, etc.Rock 'n' roll is the most common spelling.
- Rock the boat
- Rogue vs. rougeRogue: 1. a scoundrel; 2. a vicious or solitary animal; 3. a fraudulent piece of software. Rouge: a pinkish color or a reddish powder.
- Role vs. rollRole: a function or a part played in a performance. Roll: 1. to move by turning over; 2. to recur; 3. a list of names; 4. a deep rumble; 5. a rapid succession of short sounds; 6. a scrolled piece of paper.
- Roll up one's sleeves
- Rollout vs. roll outRollout: noun and adjective. Roll out: verb.
- Rollover vs. roll overRollover: noun and adjective. Roll over: verb.
- Roman-à-clef
- Rood vs rude
- Roofs vs. roovesRoofs is the standard plural.
- Rookie
- Roommate, room mate or room-mate
- Root vs. route vs. routRoot: the underground portion of a plant. Route: a line of travel. Rout: an overwhelming defeat or a disorderly retreat.
- Rose-colored glasses
- Rot vs wrought
- Rotate or revolve
- Rotund vs rotunda
- Round robin
- Rouse vs rows
- Roux, rue or roué
- Rows vs rose
- Royal "we"
- RSVP
- Rub someone the wrong way and rub someone up the wrong way
- Rub someone's nose in it
- Rubberneck
- Rubenesquefull-figured, round, or plump.
- Rude vs rued
- Ruff vs rough
- Ruffle someone's feathers
- Rule of thumba general rule. The idiom is not inherently offensive.
- Rummy
- Rumor vs roomer
- Rumor vs. rumourrumor in the U.S.; rumour everywhere else.
- Run it up the flagpole
- Run of the mill and run-of-the-mill
- Run rings around someone and run circles around someone
- Run the gamut vs run the gauntlet
- Run-on sentences
- Runaway vs. run awayone word as an adjective or noun; two words as a verb.
- Rung vs wrung
- Running on empty and running on fumes
- Rye vs wry
- RésuméThe accents may be doomed, but the safe choice is to include them.
- Shotgun vs rifle
- Spite vs respite
- Take the high road
- The real McCoy
- The road less traveled
- The road to hell is paved with good intentions
- Urban, suburban and rural
- With all due respect
- Wrath vs rath
- Wreck vs reck
- Wrote vs rote