Which to use
“rauchen” and “reichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,337
- “rauchen” frequency rank
- #1,568
- “reichen” frequency rank
- 4905
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rauchen | reichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas anzünden und den Rauch einatmen | jemandem etwas geben |
Where the eye mixes rauchen and reichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses rauchen with reichen
A purely visual mix-up. rauchen ([ˈʁaʊ̯xn̩]) and reichen ([ˈʁaɪ̯çn̩]) 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 4905, 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]. reichen is at rank #1,568, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaɪ̯çn̩].
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 4905, this pair ranks #1,996,322 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of rauchen vs reichen
Shared letters: cehnr. Private to "rauchen": au. Private to "reichen": i.
"rauchen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "reichen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rauchen" and "reichen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "rauchen" or "reichen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "rauchen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,322 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rauchen" and "reichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rauchen vs raunen". 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 #1,996,322 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.