Which to use
“Raben” is a noun and “raffen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,853
- “Raben” frequency rank
- #44,864
- “raffen” frequency rank
- 67717
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Raben | raffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Rabe | heftig und begehrlich ergreifen |
Where the eye mixes Raben and raffen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Raben runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against raffen's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Raben with raffen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Raben is [ˈʁaːbm̩] while raffen is [ˈʁafn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67717, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Raben is recorded at frequency rank #22,853, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaːbm̩]. raffen is at rank #44,864, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁafn̩].
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 67717, this pair ranks #530,964 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Raben vs raffen
Shared letters: aenr. Private to "Raben": b. Private to "raffen": f.
"Raben" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "raffen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Raben" and "raffen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Raben" or "raffen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Raben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "raffen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #530,964 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Raben" and "raffen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "raffen vs raunen". 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 #530,964 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.