List R

raise or rise?	Let us look at these two words first as verbs (doing words): My landlord has decided to RAISE the rent. He RAISED the rent a year ago. He has RAISED the rent three times in four years. My expenses RISE all the time. They ROSE very steeply last year. They have RISEN steadily this year. Now let us look at them as nouns (a raise, arise): You should ask your employer for a RISE. You should ask your employer for a RAISE. An increase in salary is called ‘a rise’ in the UK and ‘a raise’ in America.
recent or resent?	RECENT = happening not long ago RESENT = to feel aggrieved and be indignant
recover or re-cover?	Bear in mind the difference in meaning that the hyphen makes: RECOVER = get better, regain possession RE-COVER = to cover again
referee or umpire?	REFEREE = football, boxing UMPIRE = baseball, cricket, tennis
regal or royal?	REGAL =fitforakingorqueen; resembling the behaviour of a king or queen ROYAL = having the status of a king or queen, or being a member of their family
repellent or repulsive?	Both words mean ‘causing disgust or aversion’. REPULSIVE,however,isthe stronger of the two; it has the sense of causing ‘intense disgust’, even horror in some circumstances. REPELLENT can also be used in the sense of being able to repel particular pests (a mosquito repellent) and in the sense of being impervious to certain substances (water-repellent).
repetitious or repetitive?	Both words are derived from ‘repetition’. Use REPETITIOUS when you want to criticise something spoken or written for containing tedious and excessive repetition. ‘Repetitious’ is a derogatory term. Use REPETITIVE when you want to make the point that speech, writing or an activity involves a certain amount of repetition (e.g. work on an assembly line in a factory). ‘Repetitive’ is a neutral word.
reverend or reverent?	REVEREND = deserving reverence; title for a cleric. The Revd. C. Benson The Rev. C. Benson REVERENT = showing reverence REVERENT pilgrims
rigorous or vigorous?	RIGOROUS = exhaustive, very thorough, exacting physically or mentally VIGOROUS = full of energy