Which to use
“rächen” is a verb and “Raupen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,734
- “rächen” frequency rank
- #23,280
- “Raupen” frequency rank
- 39014
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rächen | Raupen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem für eine als Unrecht empfundene Tat eines anderen Genugtuung verschaffen, indem man diesem ebenfalls einen Nachteil zufügt | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Raupe |
Where the eye mixes rächen and Raupen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses rächen with Raupen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rächen is [ˈʁɛçn̩] while Raupen is [ˈʁaʊ̯pn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39014, 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]. Raupen is at rank #23,280, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯pn̩].
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 39014, this pair ranks #1,548,487 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of rächen vs Raupen
Shared letters: enr. Private to "rächen": chä. Private to "Raupen": apu.
"rächen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Raupen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Raupen ← arupen · rapuen · rauepn · raupenn · raupne · rauppen · rraupen · ruapen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "rächen" and "Raupen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "rächen" or "Raupen" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "rächen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Raupen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,548,487 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rächen" and "Raupen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "raunen vs Raupen". 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 #1,548,487 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.