RaubvsRumWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#10,348
“Raub” frequency rank
#1,744
“Rum” frequency rank
12092
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Raub Rum
Definition das gewaltsame Wegnehmen; das Rauben aus Zuckerrohr, Melasse oder Saft durch Vergärung und Destillation gewonnener hochprozentiger Branntwein, der teilweise mit Karamellzucker gefärbt wird

Where the eye mixes Raub and Rum

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

4 ch
Raub
3 ch
Rum

Look-alike desk: Raub vs Rum

A purely visual mix-up. Raub ([ʁaʊ̯p]) and Rum ([ʁʊm]) 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 12092, 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]. Rum is at rank #1,744, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁʊm].

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 12092, this pair ranks #1,966,221 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Raub vs Rum

Shared letters: ru. Private to "Raub": ab. Private to "Rum": m.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Raubarub · rabu · raubb · rraub · ruab

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Raub" and "Rum" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁaʊ̯p] versus [ʁʊm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Raub" vs "Rum" - which ranks higher?
"Rum" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,744 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

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Raub" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Rum" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,966,221 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Raub" and "Rum" 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 #1,966,221 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