Which to use
“grabe” and “grub” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,633
- “grabe” frequency rank
- #27,333
- “grub” frequency rank
- 48966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grabe | grub |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs graben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs graben |
Where the eye mixes grabe and grub
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between grabe and grub
A purely visual mix-up. grabe ([ˈɡʁaːbə]) and grub ([ɡʁuːp]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
grabe is recorded at frequency rank #21,633, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɡʁaːbə]. grub is at rank #27,333, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡʁuːp].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 48966, this pair ranks #1,228,954 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of grabe vs grub
Shared letters: bgr. Private to "grabe": ae. Private to "grub": u.
"grabe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "grub" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "grabe" for "grub" ever safe?
Frequency check: "grabe" vs "grub" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "grabe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grub" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,228,954 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "grabe" and "grub" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "graut vs grub". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,228,954 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.