Which to use
“rauchen” is a verb and “rauchende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,337
- “rauchen” frequency rank
- #49,190
- “rauchende” frequency rank
- 52527
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rauchen | rauchende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas anzünden und den Rauch einatmen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs rauchend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rauchen and rauchende apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rauchen is [ˈʁaʊ̯xn̩] while rauchende is [ˈʁaʊ̯xn̩də]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “rauchen” sits inside “rauchende”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52527, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rauchen is recorded at frequency rank #3,337, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯xn̩]. rauchende is at rank #49,190, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯xn̩də].
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 52527, this pair ranks #1,093,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of rauchen vs rauchende
Shared letters: acehnru. Private to "rauchen": -. Private to "rauchende": d.
"rauchen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "rauchende" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rauchen" and "rauchende" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "rauchen" or "rauchende"?
Remembering rauchen vs rauchende
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “rauchen”; for an adjective, it's “rauchende”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rauchen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable