Which to use
“rächen” and “recken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,734
- “rächen” frequency rank
- #41,416
- “recken” frequency rank
- 57150
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rächen | recken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem für eine als Unrecht empfundene Tat eines anderen Genugtuung verschaffen, indem man diesem ebenfalls einen Nachteil zufügt | in Längsrichtung dehnen/strecken |
Where the eye mixes rächen and recken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. rächen and recken follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between rächen and recken
A purely visual mix-up. rächen ([ˈʁɛçn̩]) and recken ([ˈʁɛkn̩]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57150, 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]. recken is at rank #41,416, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɛkn̩].
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 57150, this pair ranks #912,554 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of rächen vs recken
Shared letters: cenr. Private to "rächen": hä. Private to "recken": k.
"rächen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "recken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- recken ← ercken · rceken · reccken · recekn · reckenn · reckken · reckne · rekcen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "rächen" for "recken" ever safe?
Frequency check: "rächen" vs "recken" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "recken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #912,554 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rächen" and "recken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "recken vs Rückens". 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 #912,554 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.