Which to use
“Ratte” and “Raupe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,809
- “Ratte” frequency rank
- #24,084
- “Raupe” frequency rank
- 40893
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ratte | Raupe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mausähnliches Nagetier | wurmförmige Larve des Schmetterlings oder der Blattwespe mit beißenden Mundteilen, kurzen bekrallten Brustfüßen und stummelförmigen Afterfüßen |
Where the eye mixes Ratte and Raupe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Ratte with Raupe
A purely visual mix-up. Ratte ([ˈʁatə]) and Raupe ([ˈʁaʊ̯pə]) 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 40893, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ratte is recorded at frequency rank #16,809, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁatə]. Raupe is at rank #24,084, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯pə].
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 40893, this pair ranks #1,495,322 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Ratte vs Raupe
Shared letters: aer. Private to "Ratte": t. Private to "Raupe": pu.
"Ratte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Raupe" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ratte" and "Raupe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Ratte" or "Raupe"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ratte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Raupe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,495,322 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ratte" and "Raupe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "raunen vs Raupe". 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 #1,495,322 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.