Read vs. Read
What’s the difference?
If English isn’t your first language, you might be wondering what the difference between these homophones are.
And how to pronounce the two.
These words sound the same, but they mean different things.
In this article, we’ll explain exactly what each word means and show you how to use each word in a sentence.
Here we go.
Read
Read is pronounced like “reed.”
It’s verb (an action word) and according to the Oxford Dictionary, it means: “look at and comprehend the meaning of (written or printed matter) by mentally interpreting the characters or symbols of which it is composed.”
Here’s an example of how you’d use it in a sentence:
- I like to read on my days off. I curl up on my bed, read my book, and drink my tea.
More Sentence Examples
- I don’t know how many books we have to read this year in Advanced English, but I hope it’s not too many.
- I don’t want to read that book. I didn’t like it the first time.
- Why don’t we read a book before bedtime, Timmy? I know you like Goodnight Moon.
- When am I going to find time to read this weekend? I have to work and I also have to babysit my little brother.
- I don’t know what to read. I have so many books on my “Too Be Read” list. How am I ever going to choose?
- I love to read on rainy days. I sit on my porch with my dog and my blanket.
Read
This word looks the same as “read,” but it’s actually pronounced like the color “red.”
The Oxford dictionary defines this word as: “a person’s interpretation of something.”
Or, “having a specified level of knowledge as a result of reading.”
This is the past tense of “read.”
You can say, “I am reading this book,” or “I have read this book.”
The first one rhymes with “weed” and the second one rhymes with “red.”
Here’s how you’d use this one in a sentence.
Sentence Examples
- I don’t know how many books I’ve read this year. Probably more than fifty.
- How can you tell me you read that book when you don’t even know the main character’s name?
- Last year, we read The Catcher and the Rye in English class.
- In high school, I read Beowulf, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. Way too much Shakespeare for me!
- We haven’t read Brown Bear, Brown Bear since you were a little girl. Now we’re reading it to your daughter.
- Shouldn’t you have read that book already? The report is due in two weeks. How are you going to finish in time?
Some famous examples of the use of these words include:
In the movie, Drum Line, Nick Cannon’s character, Devon Miles, tells Mr. Wade, “I can’t really read music,” referring to the sheet music he was expected to read.
In the show, “The Good Place,” Eleanor uses “read (red).”
Here’s the quote: “When I first read Aristotle, I thought it was pronounced like Chipotle.”
Pronunciation
I know we kind of already covered this earlier, but let’s go over it again. Repetition is the key to remembering.
So, it’s “read (red)” and “read (reed).”
Here’s a short video in case you get stuck.
Learning the Difference Between These Words
Learning the difference between “read” and “read” can take some time if you’re just learning the language.
But don’t be discouraged.
A lot of native speakers struggle with this, too, so you’re not alone.
The good news is that you can always come back here to refresh your memory and review what you learned.
Until next time! 😁
Like My Content?
Enjoyed what you read? Want more? Hit that follow button and get a daily dose of content on TV, movies, travel, all things bookish, and whatever else that piques my interest or ruffles my tail feathers 😅
Or follow my other Medium page to learn how to make money online.
