Which to use
“rächen” and “raffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,734
- “rächen” frequency rank
- #44,864
- “raffen” frequency rank
- 60598
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rächen | raffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem für eine als Unrecht empfundene Tat eines anderen Genugtuung verschaffen, indem man diesem ebenfalls einen Nachteil zufügt | heftig und begehrlich ergreifen |
Where the eye mixes rächen and raffen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. rächen and raffen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses rächen with raffen
A purely visual mix-up. rächen ([ˈʁɛçn̩]) and raffen ([ˈʁafn̩]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rächen is recorded at frequency rank #15,734, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɛçn̩]. 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 60598, this pair ranks #781,027 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of rächen vs raffen
Shared letters: enr. Private to "rächen": chä. Private to "raffen": af.
"rächen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "raffen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- raffen ← arffen · rafefn · rafen · raffenn · raffne · rfafen · rraffen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "rächen" for "raffen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "rächen" or "raffen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "rächen" and "raffen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "rächen" 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 #781,027 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rächen" 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 #781,027 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.