Which to use
“Raab” is a name and “raff” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,153
- “Raab” frequency rank
- #41,412
- “raff” frequency rank
- 53565
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Raab | raff |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | rechter Zufluss zur Donau in Südostösterreich und Westungarn | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs raffen |
Where the eye mixes Raab and raff
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Raab (CVVC) and raff (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Raab with raff
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Raab is [ʁaːp] while raff is [ʁaf]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53565, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Raab is recorded at frequency rank #12,153, classified as aname, pronounced [ʁaːp]. raff is at rank #41,412, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʁaf].
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 53565, this pair ranks #1,052,969 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Raab vs raff
Shared letters: ar. Private to "Raab": b. Private to "raff": f.
"Raab" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "raff" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Raab" for "raff" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Raab" or "raff"?
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 "Raab" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "raff" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,052,969 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Raab" and "raff" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "raff vs rofl". 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 #1,052,969 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.