Definitions of
sound-alike words: R
- rain
- water falling as drops from the sky, as in: The game had to be canceled because of rain.
- reign
- rule as a monarch, as in: The U. S. Declaration of Independence was written during the reign of King George III of England.
- rein
- leather strap attached to the bridle of a horse, as in: To tell the horse you want to turn right, give a gentle pull on the right rein.
- raise
- lift or elevate, as in: She was so eager to give the answer, she forgot to raise her hand.
- rays
- narrow beams of light, as in: The rays of sunlight through the blinds woke me up early this morning.
- raze
- demolish, as in: The town council voted to raze the factory and put in a park.
- rap
- knock or tap sharply, as in: Rap
on the door again; I'm sure someone's home.
- wrap
- to put a cover around something, as in: Be sure to wrap the baby warmly in this cold weather.
 rappel
- technique used to descend a vertical surface by rope, the speed being controlled by friction between the rope and a braking device, as in: The coordination of arms and legs is essential in rappel.
- repel
- ward off or keep away; drive back: as in: This garlic cream is sure to repel insects and humans.
(Thanks to Keir Davis of Essex Two Incorporated, Chicago, Illinois, for suggesting this sound-alike word pair)
- read
- understand something written, as in: When all else
fails, read the instruction manual.
- read
- past tense of to read, as in: I read the letter again to make sure I hadn't misunderstood.
- reed
- tall grass found in marshes or part of a musical
instrument, as in: I need to buy a new reed for my clarinet.
- red
- a color, as in: The teacher circled the mistakes with a red pencil.
- real
- actual, true, or genuine, as in: I wonder if her
necklace is made of real pearls?
- reel
- wind up a line, as in: When the fish gets tired you can reel it in.
- really
- actually or truly, as in: That was a great story, but now tell me what really happened.
- reality
- fact, as in: He awoke from an unpleasant dream, happy to find it wasn't reality.
- realty
- land and buildings on it, as in: We are going to the realty office to look at listings for new homes.
- receipt
- written record of something received, as in: Here is a receipt for the money you paid me.
- recipe
- ingredients and directions for making a food or drink item, as in: I wish he would give me his recipe for meat loaf.
- recent
- just before now or of a time not long past, as in: The most recent news I heard is that the deal will go through.
- resent
- feel bitterness toward, as in: I resent being called a dummy.
- reference
- (1) a direction of attention to, as in: He made a
brief reference to your last letter.
- (2) a book used for helpful information, as in: I
hope you have found this reference list useful.
- reverence
- deepest respect, as in: In many cultures, reverence is shown to elderly people.
- elapse
- (of time) pass by, as in: Three minutes elapsed before her page had completely loaded--too many graphics!
- lapse
- (1) to slip or fall, as in: When the announcement
came, we all lapsed into silence.
- (2) to lose effect, as in: Your insurance policy will lapse if you don't pay the premiums.
- relapse
- a slip backwards, as in: Just when we thought he was going to get well, he suffered a relapse.
- residence
- place where one lives, as in: The suspect left his residence around noon.
- residents
- inhabitants, as in: The residents
of the little town were sad to see the visitors leave.
- respectably
- properly and decently, as in: The two young ladies
were very respectably dressed.
- respectfully
- courteously and with respect, as in: I respectfully submit my resignation.
- respectively
- in the same order as the preceding, as in: Jane
Nguyen and Maria Lopez are, respectively, the CEO and Chairman of the Board.
- retch
- to try to vomit, as in: The awful smell made me retch.
- wretch
- a pitiful or despised person, as in: I'd like to get my hands on the wretch who robbed the blind old man.
- right
- correct or accurate, as in: Careful writers strive to use the right word.
- rite
- customary and solemn ritual or ceremony, as in: The rite of baptism is taken very seriously in many faiths.
- wright
- someone who makes or repairs something, usually in combinations, as in: My grandfather was a shipwright and my grandson is a playwright.
- write
- to mark letters or symbols on a surface with a tool, as in: Class, I want you each to write your name on the top of your paper.
- role
- position or function, as in: What will be my role in the new company?
- roll
- (1) move by wheels, as in: Roll this car forwards.
- (2) piece of bread, as in: I'd like a buttered roll with my soup.
- (3) list of names, as in: The teacher forgot to take roll today.
- en route
- on the way, as in: En route to town to sell the cow, Jack traded the cow for some magic beans.
- root
- (1) underground part of a plant, as in: A carrot is a root vegetable.
- (2) origin or source, as in: We can't solve this problem until we get to its root.
- (3) cheer for or wish success for, as in: Who did you root for in the
Olympics?
- rout
- terrible defeat, as in: The Super Bowl turned out to be a complete rout.
- route
- a path which is planned and followed regularly, as in: I'm thinking of supplementing my salary with a newspaper route.
- rote
- unthinking routine, as in: Foreign languages used to be taught by the rote method.
- wrote
- past tense of to write, as in: I wrote to the company last week but I haven't received any answer yet.
This list of definitions can't replace your dictionary. Rather
than discussing every possible meaning of the words on this list,
I try to show how one word differs from another in a group of words that sound or
look very much alike.
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