RaubvsRufConfusable pair

Which to use

“Raub” and “Ruf” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#10,348
“Raub” frequency rank
#2,317
“Ruf” frequency rank
12665
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Raub Ruf
Definition das gewaltsame Wegnehmen; das Rauben ein Laut, der an jemanden adressiert ist

Where the eye mixes Raub and Ruf

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Raub
3 ch
Ruf

Why the eye confuses Raub with Ruf

A purely visual mix-up. Raub ([ʁaʊ̯p]) and Ruf ([ʁuːf]) 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 12665, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Raub is recorded at frequency rank #10,348, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʁaʊ̯p]. Ruf is at rank #2,317, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁuːf].

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 12665, this pair ranks #1,962,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Raub vs Ruf

Shared letters: ru. Private to "Raub": ab. Private to "Ruf": f.

"Raub" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Ruf" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Raubarub · rabu · raubb · rraub · ruab

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Raub" and "Ruf" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁaʊ̯p] versus [ʁuːf]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Raub" or "Ruf"?
"Ruf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,317 in our German list, against #10,348 for "Raub". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Raub" and "Ruf" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Raub" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ruf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,962,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Raub" and "Ruf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Raub vs RUB". 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 #1,962,806 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list