Which to use
“Graben” and “Grauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,717
- “Graben” frequency rank
- #6,196
- “Grauen” frequency rank
- 11913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Graben | Grauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | länglicher Erdaushub | Gefühl der Furcht, des Entsetzens aufgrund von etwas Bedrohlichem |
Where the eye mixes Graben and Grauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Graben (CCVCVC) and Grauen (CCVVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Graben vs Grauen
A purely visual mix-up. Graben ([ˈɡʁaːbn̩]) and Grauen ([ˈɡʁaʊ̯ən]) 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 a single letter - b in “Graben” becomes u in “Grauen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11913, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Graben is recorded at frequency rank #5,717, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡʁaːbn̩]. Grauen is at rank #6,196, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡʁaʊ̯ən].
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 11913, this pair ranks #1,967,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Graben vs Grauen
Shared letters: aegnr. Private to "Graben": b. Private to "Grauen": u.
"Graben" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "Grauen" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Graben" and "Grauen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Graben" or "Grauen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Graben" and "Grauen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Graben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Grauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,967,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Graben" and "Grauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Grauen vs grave". 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 #1,967,252 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.