rauenvsraunenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,017
“rauen” frequency rank
#49,191
“raunen” frequency rank
76208
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rauen raunen
Definition eine (glatte) Oberfläche rau machen mit gedämpfter Stimme sprechen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
rauen
6 ch
raunen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. rauen ([ˈʁaʊ̯ən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76208, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rauen is recorded at frequency rank #27,017, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯ən]. 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 76208, this pair ranks #289,300 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of rauen vs raunen

Shared letters: aenru. Private to "rauen": -. Private to "raunen": -.

"rauen" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC  ·  "raunen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • rauenaruen · raeun · rauenn · raune · rrauen · ruaen
  • raunenarunen · ranuen · raunenn · raunne · raunnen · rraunen · ruanen

Frequency comparison

rauen#27,017
raunen#49,191

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rauen" and "raunen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁaʊ̯ən] versus [ˈʁaʊ̯nən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "rauen" or "raunen"?
"rauen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,017 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 rauen 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 “rauen” 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