RankvsRankenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,874
“Rank” frequency rank
#25,723
“Ranken” frequency rank
60597
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Rank Ranken
Definition Intrigen, Listen, Machenschaften Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ranke

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Rank
6 ch
Ranken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Rank ([ʁaŋk]) and Ranken ([ˈʁaŋkn̩]) 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) - “Rank” sits inside “Ranken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60597, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Rank is recorded at frequency rank #34,874, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʁaŋk]. Ranken is at rank #25,723, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaŋkn̩].

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 60597, this pair ranks #781,066 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Rank vs Ranken

Shared letters: aknr. Private to "Rank": -. Private to "Ranken": e.

"Rank" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Ranken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Rankarnk · rakn · rankk · rannk · rnak · rrank
  • Rankenarnken · raknen · ranekn · rankenn · rankken · rankne · rannken · rnaken

Frequency comparison

Rank#34,874
Ranken#25,723

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Rank" and "Ranken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁaŋk] versus [ˈʁaŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Rank" or "Ranken"?
"Ranken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,723 in our German list, against #34,874 for "Rank". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Rank vs Ranken

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 “Rank” 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