Which to use
“rächen” and “raunen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,734
- “rächen” frequency rank
- #49,191
- “raunen” frequency rank
- 64925
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rächen | raunen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem für eine als Unrecht empfundene Tat eines anderen Genugtuung verschaffen, indem man diesem ebenfalls einen Nachteil zufügt | mit gedämpfter Stimme sprechen |
Where the eye mixes rächen and raunen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. rächen (CVCCVC) and raunen (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses rächen with raunen
A purely visual mix-up. rächen ([ˈʁɛçn̩]) and raunen ([ˈʁaʊ̯nən]) 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 64925, 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]. raunen is at rank #49,191, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯nən].
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 64925, this pair ranks #624,566 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of rächen vs raunen
Shared letters: enr. Private to "rächen": chä. Private to "raunen": au.
"rächen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "raunen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- raunen ← arunen · ranuen · raunenn · raunne · raunnen · rraunen · ruanen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "rächen" for "raunen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "rächen" or "raunen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "rächen" and "raunen" 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 "raunen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #624,566 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rächen" and "raunen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ramen 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 #624,566 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.