Which to use
“rächen” and “rauchen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,734
- “rächen” frequency rank
- #3,337
- “rauchen” frequency rank
- 19071
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rächen | rauchen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem für eine als Unrecht empfundene Tat eines anderen Genugtuung verschaffen, indem man diesem ebenfalls einen Nachteil zufügt | etwas anzünden und den Rauch einatmen |
Where the eye mixes rächen and rauchen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. rächen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against rauchen's 7 (CVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses rächen with rauchen
A purely visual mix-up. rächen ([ˈʁɛçn̩]) and rauchen ([ˈʁaʊ̯xn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19071, 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]. rauchen is at rank #3,337, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯xn̩].
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 19071, this pair ranks #1,912,120 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of rächen vs rauchen
Shared letters: cehnr. Private to "rächen": ä. Private to "rauchen": au.
"rächen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "rauchen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- rauchen ← aruchen · racuhen · raucchen · raucehn · rauchenn · rauchhen · rauchne · rauhcen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rächen" and "rauchen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "rächen" vs "rauchen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "rächen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rauchen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,912,120 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rächen" and "rauchen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rächen 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 #1,912,120 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.