rastenvsröstenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,580
“rasten” frequency rank
#45,557
“rösten” frequency rank
72137
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rasten rösten
Definition sich ausruhen, (bei körperlicher Anstrengung) eine Pause einlegen Flachs oder Hanf zum Gewinnen von Pflanzenfasern mürbe machen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rasten and rösten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
rasten
6 ch
rösten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. rasten ([ˈʁastn̩]) and rösten ([ˈʁœstn̩]) 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 a single letter - a in “rasten” becomes ö in “rösten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rasten is recorded at frequency rank #26,580, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁastn̩]. rösten is at rank #45,557, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁœstn̩].

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 72137, this pair ranks #396,763 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of rasten vs rösten

Shared letters: enrst. Private to "rasten": a. Private to "rösten": ö.

"rasten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "rösten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • rastenarsten · rasetn · rassten · rastenn · rastne · rastten · ratsen · rrasten

Frequency comparison

rasten#26,580
rösten#45,557

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rasten" and "rösten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁastn̩] versus [ˈʁœstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "rasten" or "rösten"?
"rasten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,580 in our German list, against #45,557 for "rösten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering rasten vs rösten

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 “rasten” 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