Which to use
“raten” and “raunen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,067
- “raten” frequency rank
- #49,191
- “raunen” frequency rank
- 53258
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | raten | raunen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Rat geben/erteilen, empfehlen | mit gedämpfter Stimme sprechen |
Where the eye mixes raten and raunen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. raten runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against raunen's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses raten with raunen
A purely visual mix-up. raten ([ˈʁaːtn̩]) and raunen ([ˈʁaʊ̯nən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53258, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
raten is recorded at frequency rank #4,067, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaːtn̩]. raunen is at rank #49,191, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯nən].
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 53258, this pair ranks #1,065,009 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of raten vs raunen
Shared letters: aenr. Private to "raten": t. Private to "raunen": u.
"raten" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "raunen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "raten" and "raunen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "raten" vs "raunen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "raten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "raunen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,065,009 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "raten" and "raunen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ramen vs raunen". 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 #1,065,009 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.