Which to use
“Rätsel” and “Ratte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,112
- “Rätsel” frequency rank
- #16,809
- “Ratte” frequency rank
- 21921
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Rätsel | Ratte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Aufgabe, in Form einer Frage oder auch in graphischer Form, die durch Raten und Nachdenken zu lösen ist | mausähnliches Nagetier |
Where the eye mixes Rätsel and Ratte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Rätsel with Ratte
A purely visual mix-up. Rätsel ([ˈʁɛːt͡sl̩]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21921, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Rätsel is recorded at frequency rank #5,112, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁɛːt͡sl̩]. 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 21921, this pair ranks #1,880,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Rätsel vs Ratte
Shared letters: ert. Private to "Rätsel": lsä. Private to "Ratte": a.
"Rätsel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Ratte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Ratte ← rratte · rtate
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Rätsel" and "Ratte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Rätsel" or "Ratte"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Rätsel" 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 #1,880,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Rätsel" 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 #1,880,564 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.