Which to use
“Rate” is a noun and “rau” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,411
- “Rate” frequency rank
- #13,465
- “rau” frequency rank
- 18876
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Rate | rau |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Prozent ausgedrücktes Verhältnis zwischen zwei Größen | nicht glatt, mit unebener, unbearbeiteter Oberfläche, Beschaffenheit |
Where the eye mixes Rate and rau
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Rate with rau
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Rate is [ˈʁaːtə] while rau is [ʁaʊ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18876, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Rate is recorded at frequency rank #5,411, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaːtə]. rau is at rank #13,465, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʁaʊ̯].
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 18876, this pair ranks #1,913,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Rate vs rau
Shared letters: ar. Private to "Rate": et. Private to "rau": u.
"Rate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "rau" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Rate ← raet · rrate · rtae
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Rate" and "rau" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Rate" vs "rau" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Rate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rau" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,913,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Rate" and "rau" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rau vs RUB". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,913,978 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.