ranavsrunsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: rana is a noun, runs is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“rana” is a noun and “runs” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#44,865
“rana” frequency rank
#40,182
“runs” frequency rank
85047
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rana runs
Definition der Erde nächster Stern; Sonne 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs run

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rana and runs apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
rana
4 ch
runs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rana is [ɽáːnáː] while runs is [ɹʌnz]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rana is recorded at frequency rank #44,865, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɽáːnáː]. runs is at rank #40,182, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɹʌnz].

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 85047, this pair ranks #114,290 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of rana vs runs

Shared letters: nr. Private to "rana": a. Private to "runs": su.

"rana" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "runs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ranaarna · raan · ranna · rnaa · rrana
  • runsrnus · rruns · runns · runss · rusn · urns

Frequency comparison

rana#44,865
runs#40,182

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rana" and "runs" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "rana" is a noun and "runs" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "rana" or "runs"?
"runs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,182 in our German list, against #44,865 for "rana". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering rana vs runs

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “rana”; for a verb, it's “runs”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rana” 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