raunenvsruhenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#49,191
“raunen” frequency rank
#8,268
“ruhen” frequency rank
57459
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature raunen ruhen
Definition mit gedämpfter Stimme sprechen sich erholen, eine Pause machen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set raunen and ruhen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
raunen
5 ch
ruhen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. raunen ([ˈʁaʊ̯nən]) and ruhen ([ˈʁuːən]) 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 57459, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

raunen is recorded at frequency rank #49,191, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯nən]. ruhen is at rank #8,268, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁuːən].

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 57459, this pair ranks #900,543 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of raunen vs ruhen

Shared letters: enru. Private to "raunen": a. Private to "ruhen": h.

"raunen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "ruhen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • raunenarunen · ranuen · raunenn · raunne · raunnen · rraunen · ruanen
  • ruhenrhuen · rruhen · ruehn · ruhenn · ruhhen · ruhne · urhen

Frequency comparison

raunen#49,191
ruhen#8,268

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "raunen" and "ruhen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁaʊ̯nən] versus [ˈʁuːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "raunen" or "ruhen"?
"ruhen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,268 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 raunen vs ruhen

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 “raunen” 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