English spellings/Catalogs/R
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| Common misspellings |
This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with R. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.
For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.[e]
R = àre be
rábbî
rábbit rhymes with hábit
rábble makes a minimal pair with rébel
râbid (AmE can be á)
râbies
Râchel = Râchael
racoôn or raccoôn
râcehorse one word
râcing (although some non-anglophone football clubs are called Rácing)
râcism *râyssizm, cf. fáscism *fáshizm
ráck frame, stretch = wráck pain
rácket corruption, noise, sport = rácquet sport (obsolescent)
râdàr cf. râider (minimal pair)
râdìî
râdius
ragoût *rágôo
râid
râin water = rèign monarch = rèin horse = Râyne person
râiny rain = Râney person
râise up = râze ground
râisin -zən
râison d’étre may have French accent: raison d´être
Râith Rovers = wrâith ghost
Ráleigh person = rálly meeting, except...
Råleigh North Carolina, Sir Walter = Råwley
Rálph *Rálf mostly, but some are *Râfe (e.g. Ralph Vaughan Williams, *Râfe Våwn Wílyəmz)
rámpâge noun, verb
Rámsey Isle of Man, Lewis = Rámsay MacDonald *Rámzì
ráncour *rángkə BrE; AmE ráncor *rángkər
rânge
Rangoôn = ráng goôn
ránkle cf. wrínkle
ránsom money = Ránsome person
Raoûl = Raûl Rà-
rappróchement *rápróshmón
rápt entranced = wrápped parcel = rápped rap
Ráqqa
rárebit Welsh
rāspberry -spb- or -zb-
Rastafãrian
râtio *râyshôw
rátion makes a rhyming minimal pair with fáshion, though some AmE-speakers rhyme it with nâtion
rátional adjective rásh-
rationàle noun -sh-
ráttlesnake one word
råucous rhymes with cåucus
râven bird
rávening greedy
ravìne
Råwalpíndi
rây light, fish = Rây = Râe = Wrây persons
râzor rhymes with lâser
rê concerning = rê- again prefix: in more common words, where there is no sense of again, rê- sounds like rí-: compare revêal (rí-) and redêal (rê-)
reáct - rê-
rêad writing = rêed plant = Rêed = Rêid = Rêad persons
réad past, past participle = réd colour; cf. lêad present, léd past, past participle
Réading England = Rédding person, cf. rêading read
Reâgan Ronald, cf. Rêgan Lear, Mégan
rêal genuine = rêel rotate
reálity - rê-
réalm
Reál Madríd *Rèy-ál Mədríd
reálpolitìk
rêalty
rêam
rêbate
Rebécca = Rebékah
rébel noun *rébble, rhymes with pébble, cf. rábble
rebél verb
rebûke
recálibrate
réccê *récky
recêde back *rísêed ≈ resêed plant, rê-
recêipt money -cêet, cf. concêit, decêit
recêive
rêcent lately cf. resént disapprove *rizént
rêcess, recéss
recídivist
récipê food
recíprocal
réckless, cf. wréck
réckon
récognise - g can be silent
recomménd, ré-
réconcîle
reconciliâtion
recónnaíssance *recónissənss
récord noun; recŏrd verb
rê-creâte again *rêcrê-âte
recreâtion fun, sport *récrê-âtion
rê-creâtion again *rêcrê-âtion
recrûit redundant i
recür
recürred, recúrrence, recúrrent, recúrring - rr
réd colour = réad book
redo *redoô
rédolent
redòne
rêed water = rêad book = Rêed = Rêad = Rêid persons
rêek smell = wrêak havoc
rêel round = rêal genuine
rê-énergise - rê- hyphenated before é
rê-éntry - rê- hyphenated before é
Rêes = Rhỳs = Rêece = Rêese
refër
referêe
réference (all four vowel-letters are es)
referénda plural
referéndum singular
refërred
refërring
refléct
refléction in BrE can be refléxion
rêflex
refŏrm improve, cf. rê-fŏrm again
refrígerator, cf. frídge, adding d to avoid "frîge"
réfuge
refugêe, cf. éffigy
refûse no! -z
réfuse rubbish -ss
Rég Reginald *Rédge, rhyming with hédge
Rêgan Lear cf. Reâgan Ronald, Mégan
réggâe *réggay
regìme *râizhìme
rêgion
régister
rehëarse
Rêid person = rêad write = rêed water = Rêed person
Reîgate
rèign monarch = râin wet = rèin horse, in
reignîte rêeíg-
reimbürse rêeím-
rèin horse, as in frêe rèin (= rèign monarch = râin down)
Reînce Priêbus
reinfŏrce rêeín-, cf. enfŏrce
reintërpret rêeín-
reíterate: *rêe-ítərâte; not -tt-
rêjéct noun
rejéct verb
rejûvenate
relêase cf. rêalîse
rélevant
relìêf *relêaf
relìêve *relêave
rê-líve
relŷ
remâin
rêmatch
Rémbrandt
remémber
remémbrance
remînd
Rémington
reminíscent -ssənt
renâissànce BrE, AmE rénaissànce
Rénault ™ *Rénnô
rendezvous *róndâyvoô (as a verb, regular: rendezvoused *róndayvoôd, etc.)
Renèe = Renây
Rênêe (from Irênê *Î-rêeny)
renège or renègue *rənâyg
Rêno
renòunce
réntal rent = Réntoul
rentier *róntiây
renunciâtion (nún, not nòun)
repâid
repâint
repãir makes a minimal pair with prepãre
repartêe
repây
repâyment
repéllent
repéntant
rêpercússions
répertoire *répertwàr
répertory
repetítion
repétitive
rêplay noun
replây verb
replŷ
réprimand
represént portray, substitute, ré-, cf. rê-presént again
represéntative
reprîsal
reprìse
repúblic
repúblican
rê-publicâtion republish is best hyphenated to avoid confusion with repúblic
Repùblika Srpska *Sërpska
réputable
repûte
réquiém *réquì-ém
réscue
resëarch BrE; AmE rêsëarch
resémble *rizémble
resént *rizént dislike cf. rê-sént re-send, rêcent lately
resërve
réservoir *rézərvwàr
rêshuffle noun
reshúffle verb
resîgn leave *rizîne, cf. rê-sîgn again *rê-sîne
resignâtion rézíg-
resíst -zí-
resístance -zí-
resít rê-
resôlve *rízólve
resŏurce BrE; AmE rêsource; some say *rezŏurce
réspiratory or respíratory
réspîte BrE; AmE réspíte
respónsible ("responsable" is the French spelling)
réstaurant *réstrónt; though some, French-style, do not pronounce the final t, while restauratëur can lose the n
restrâint noun, cf. restrâined
resúlt *rizúlt
resûme again *ríz-yoôm
résumè AmE CV: may be written résumé or resumé to distinguish it from resûme (BrE CV is shorter to say and write)
resurréction réz-
resúscitate
rêtail
retàrd verb, rêtard person
rétch vomit = wrétch poor
rethínk
rétina
rétinue
reûnion meeting = Reûnion island
revêal
reveillê *reválly
rével cf. revêal
revelâtion, cf. revolûtion
revêre
réverence
revieŵ re-examine, newspaper = revûe show
revîle
revísit
revôke cf. irrévocable
rewård
rêwrite noun, rewrîte verb (no hyphen)
Rèykjavik *Râykyavik or Rék-
Réynolds
rhápsody -ədy
rhêa bird = Rhêa Saturn
rhétoric
rhetórical
Rhîne
rhînô, abbreviation of rhinóceros
rhô Greek = rôw line = rôe fish
Rhôde Island = rôad street = rôwed boat
Rhôdes Greece, Cecil = rôads streets
Rhodêsia -êezha
rhododéndron rô-
rhŷme
rhýthm *rídhəm (rhýthms is the longest word without a, e, i, o or u)
rhýthmic *rídhmic
Rhỳs = Reês = Reêse = Reêce, cf. Rîce = rîce
ríbald *ríbbled, *ríbəld
ríbbon -bən makes a minimal pair with its less common form ríband
Ríchard
Ríchie = Ríchey = Rítchie, the first the most common as a given name, the last as a surname
Rícky
rícochèt BrE *rícoshay, AmE *ricoshây, inflected forms in silent -t- or, for the verb, -tt-
rídge cf. rígíd, both ríj-
rídicule
ridículous *ridíkyələss
rîght side, correct = wrîte read = rîte ritual = wrîght artesan = Wrîght person
rígíd *ríjid, cf. rídge *ríj
rígorous
Rîley = Reîlly
ríll stream = Rhýl
rîme frost; also rare alternative, more regular, spelling of rhŷme
ríng round, noise = wríng neck
Rìo de Janêíro is the traditional English pronunciation; there seems little point in trying to approximate to the local one, roughly 'Hìu ji Zhanâyru'
Rìordan = Rêardon
rîse up -z, cf. rîce eat -s
rísible; some say rîsible
rísky
rísquè can have French accent: risqué *rískây, *rêeskây
rîte ritual = wrîte read = rîght side, correct = wrîght artesan
ríven
ríver
riviéra
Rìyadh: dh as the voiced sound of th, as in thís
rôach = Rôach = Rôche Tony
rôad street = rôde ride
Roàld Dàhl, often mispronounced "Rôald"
rôam wander = Rôme city
rôan horse, cf. rôwan tree
rób steal = Rób Robert
róbber
róbbery
Róbert
róbin bird = Róbin = Róbyn persons
rôbót
Rockåll
róck and rôll or róck'n'rôll
rôde ridden = rôad drive
rôdêo, rodèo
rôe fish = rôw line, in a = rhô Greek, cf. ròw argue
Rôe v. Wâde *rovy-wâde
Róger
Rógers = Ródgers
Rôh Moô-hyún (Rôh = nô not, Korean: 노, which is indeed more often transcribed as 'no')
Rohíngya *Rohínja
rǒil muddy = rǒyal queen
Rôland cf. Rónald
rôle part, model (can have identical French accent: rôle) = rôll round, bread, call
Róllins
Rôma Gipsy (this is also the name of Rôme in Italian)
Rôman city, person
románce romantic = Románce language
România Rə-; Ru- spelling obsolete, though Rû- pronunciation still sometimes heard, as with Rô-
romántic
Rômany, Rômani
roôd crucifix, measure = rûde coarse
roôfs roof *roôves, rhymes with hoôves hoof
roôm
Rôosevelt, first syllable = rôse
roôt plant = BrE roûte journey
*roôves roôfs
Rŏrschàch *Rŏrschàk
Rós *Róz
Rósalínd, cf. Rósiland, 21st century US variant
rôse flower, rise = rôws boat, line = Rôse
rôsè wine can have French accent: rosé
Rôsemãry AmE; BrE a as schwa, cf. Mãry, = rôsemary shrub
Rôsensteîn Rod
rôse-tínted
Róss
rôsy red, good = Rôsie
rôte learning = wrôte write
Rótherham *Rótherum
rótten
Róttweîler -vyler or -wyler
roûè can have French accent: roué
roúgh violent = rúff cards, neck, bird, fish
ròughage *rúffage, *rúffij
ròund
ròuse rhymes with bròwse -z; cf. Ròuse = Ròwse -ss
ròut victory
roûte journey BrE = roôt plant; AmE ròute = ròut victory. Thus in BrE ròuting win and roûting direction are homographs with different pronunciations
roûx sauce = rûe regret
rôw boat, line = rôe fish = rhô Greek
ròw argument
Rôwling J.K. = rôlling
Ròwse = Ròuse -ss, cf. ròuse -z
rpm revolutions per minute *à(r)pê-ém, lower case, e.g. 45 rpm
rúbble wreck cf. AmE rûble BrE roûble money
rûbric
rúcksack
rûde impolite = roôd measure, cross
rúgby ûnion and rúgby lêague are not hyphenated (except on the BBC's ticker)
Rûi Lôpez or -eth
Ruîslip *Rŷslip
*Rumânia, old spelling of România
rúmpus
rúnaway person cf. rún awây action
rúng ladder, ring = wrúng wring
Rûpert
rûral
Rússell in most cases has two ls
Rússia *Rúsha
rústle noise = Rússell person
Rwánda Ruá-, cf. Rawalpíndi