raubenvsraunenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,523
“rauben” frequency rank
#49,191
“raunen” frequency rank
65714
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rauben raunen
Definition sich etwas unrechtmäßig und gewaltsam aneignen mit gedämpfter Stimme sprechen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rauben and raunen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
rauben
6 ch
raunen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. rauben ([ˈʁaʊ̯bn̩]) and raunen ([ˈʁaʊ̯nən]) 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 a single letter - b in “rauben” becomes n in “raunen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65714, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rauben is recorded at frequency rank #16,523, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯bn̩]. raunen is at rank #49,191, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯nən].

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 65714, this pair ranks #597,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of rauben vs raunen

Shared letters: aenru. Private to "rauben": b. Private to "raunen": -.

"rauben" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "raunen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • raubenaruben · rabuen · raubben · raubenn · raubne · rauebn · rrauben · ruaben
  • raunenarunen · ranuen · raunenn · raunne · raunnen · rraunen · ruanen

Frequency comparison

rauben#16,523
raunen#49,191

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rauben" and "raunen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁaʊ̯bn̩] versus [ˈʁaʊ̯nən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "rauben" or "raunen"?
"rauben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,523 in our German list, against #49,191 for "raunen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering rauben vs raunen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rauben” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list