RabenvsRenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Raben” and “Ren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,853
“Raben” frequency rank
#16,528
“Ren” frequency rank
39381
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Raben Ren
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Rabe nordische Hirschart (Rangifer tarandus), die von den nördlichen Hirtenvölkern halbzahm gehalten wird

Where the eye mixes Raben and Ren

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Raben
3 ch
Ren

Visual trap between Raben and Ren

A purely visual mix-up. Raben ([ˈʁaːbm̩]) and Ren ([ʁeːn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39381, 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]. Ren is at rank #16,528, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁeːn].

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 39381, this pair ranks #1,538,383 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Raben vs Ren

Shared letters: enr. Private to "Raben": ab. Private to "Ren": -.

"Raben" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Ren" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Rabenarben · rabben · rabenn · rabne · raebn · rbaen · rraben

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Raben" and "Ren" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁaːbm̩] versus [ʁeːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Raben" or "Ren"?
"Ren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,528 in our German list, against #22,853 for "Raben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Raben" and "Ren" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Raben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,538,383 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Raben" and "Ren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Raben 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 #1,538,383 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list