Which to use
“ragen” is a verb and “rauer” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,473
- “ragen” frequency rank
- #38,353
- “rauer” frequency rank
- 60826
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ragen | rauer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich durch eine vertikale Aufrichtung von der restlichen Umgebung abheben | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs rau |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ragen and rauer apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ragen is [ˈʁaːɡn̩] while rauer is [ˈʁaʊ̯ɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60826, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ragen is recorded at frequency rank #22,473, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaːɡn̩]. rauer is at rank #38,353, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯ɐ].
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 60826, this pair ranks #772,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ragen vs rauer
Shared letters: aer. Private to "ragen": gn. Private to "rauer": u.
"ragen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "rauer" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ragen" and "rauer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ragen" or "rauer"?
Remembering ragen vs rauer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ragen”; for an adjective, it's “rauer”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ragen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable