raffvsrafftWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,412
“raff” frequency rank
#45,532
“rafft” frequency rank
86944
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature raff rafft
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs raffen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs raffen

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
raff
5 ch
rafft

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. raff ([ʁaf]) and rafft ([ʁaft]) 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 extra letter(s) - “raff” sits inside “rafft”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86944, 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]. rafft is at rank #45,532, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʁaft].

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 86944, this pair ranks #86,829 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of raff vs rafft

Shared letters: afr. Private to "raff": -. Private to "rafft": t.

"raff" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "rafft" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • raffarff · rfaf · rraff
  • rafftarfft · rafftt · raft · raftf · rfaft · rrafft

Frequency comparison

raff#41,412
rafft#45,532

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "raff" and "rafft" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁaf] versus [ʁaft]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "raff" or "rafft"?
"raff" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,412 in our German list, against #45,532 for "rafft". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering raff vs rafft

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