Which to use
“Rates” and “rays” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,075
- “Rates” frequency rank
- #37,153
- “rays” frequency rank
- 46228
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Rates | rays |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Rat | Plural des Substantivs ray |
Where the eye mixes Rates and rays
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Rates with rays
A purely visual mix-up. Rates ([ˈʁaːtəs]) and rays ([ɹeɪz]) 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 46228, 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]. rays is at rank #37,153, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɹeɪz].
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 46228, this pair ranks #1,326,281 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Rates vs rays
Shared letters: ars. Private to "Rates": et. Private to "rays": y.
"Rates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "rays" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Rates" and "rays" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Rates" vs "rays" - 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 "Rates" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rays" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,326,281 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Rates" and "rays" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Rades vs rays". 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 #1,326,281 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.