real and reel are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. real means “being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory”. reel means “a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector”. real is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈɹil/
1.adj.being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
“real objects”
2.adj.no less than what is stated; worthy of the name
“the real reason”
3.adj.not to be taken lightly
“statistics demonstrate that poverty and unemployment are very real problems”
| real | reel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹil/ | /ˈɹil/ |
| Said | reel | reel |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, noun, adverb | noun, verb |
| Senses | 13 | 9 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | existent | none recorded |
Full entry for real · Full entry for reel · More comparisons
/ˈɹil/
1.n.a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector
2.n.music composed for dancing a reel
3.n.winder consisting of a revolving spool with a handle; attached to a fishing rod