Wolf spiders are fairly common in many parts of the U.S., and since they’re brown in color, they can be mistaken for brown recluses. Luckily, wolf spiders are far less dangerous, and their rare bites only sting or itch if you have an allergy.
The easiest way to tell the difference between wolf spiders and brown recluses is coloring. Brown recluses are solid brown save for the violin-shaped mark, but wolf spiders have stripes or mottling of black and gray. Their bodies are also covered with fine hairs, whereas brown recluses are smooth.