Which to use
“Rabe” and “rack” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,029
- “Rabe” frequency rank
- #46,930
- “rack” frequency rank
- 66959
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Rabe | rack |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schwarze Vogelart, der Kolkrabe | Gestell, Gerüst, Gewehrständer, Kleiderständer, Ständer, Rahmen, Streckrahmen, Stützrahmen, Raufe, Futtergestell, Gepäcknetz, Handtuchhalter, Halter |
Where the eye mixes Rabe and rack
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Rabe (CVCV) and rack (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Rabe with rack
A purely visual mix-up. Rabe ([ˈʁaːbə]) and rack ([ɹæk]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66959, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Rabe is recorded at frequency rank #20,029, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaːbə]. rack is at rank #46,930, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɹæk].
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 66959, this pair ranks #555,963 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Rabe vs rack
Shared letters: ar. Private to "Rabe": be. Private to "rack": ck.
"Rabe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "rack" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Rabe" for "rack" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Rabe" vs "rack" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Rabe" and "rack" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Rabe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rack" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #555,963 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Rabe" and "rack" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rack vs rech". 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 #555,963 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.