Which to use
“Rates” and “Ratte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,075
- “Rates” frequency rank
- #16,809
- “Ratte” frequency rank
- 25884
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Rates | Ratte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Rat | mausähnliches Nagetier |
Where the eye mixes Rates and Ratte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Rates with Ratte
A purely visual mix-up. Rates ([ˈʁaːtəs]) and Ratte ([ˈʁatə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25884, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Rates is recorded at frequency rank #9,075, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaːtəs]. Ratte is at rank #16,809, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁatə].
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 25884, this pair ranks #1,826,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Rates vs Ratte
Shared letters: aert. Private to "Rates": s. Private to "Ratte": -.
"Rates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Ratte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Rates" and "Ratte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Rates" or "Ratte"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Rates" and "Ratte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Rates" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ratte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,826,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Rates" and "Ratte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ragte vs Ratte". 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 #1,826,550 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.