raffvsraffenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“raff” and “raffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#41,412
“raff” frequency rank
#44,864
“raffen” frequency rank
86276
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature raff raffen
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs raffen heftig und begehrlich ergreifen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set raff and raffen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
raff
6 ch
raffen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. raff ([ʁaf]) 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 differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “raff” sits inside “raffen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86276, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

raff is recorded at frequency rank #41,412, classified as averb, pronounced [ʁaf]. 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 86276, this pair ranks #96,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of raff vs raffen

Shared letters: afr. Private to "raff": -. Private to "raffen": en.

"raff" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "raffen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • raffarff · rfaf · rraff
  • raffenarffen · rafefn · rafen · raffenn · raffne · rfafen · rraffen

Frequency comparison

raff#41,412
raffen#44,864

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "raff" and "raffen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁaf] versus [ˈʁafn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "raff" or "raffen"?
"raff" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,412 in our German list, against #44,864 for "raffen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering raff vs raffen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “raff” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list