Which to use
“Raupe” is a noun and “rufe” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,084
- “Raupe” frequency rank
- #6,967
- “rufe” frequency rank
- 31051
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Raupe | rufe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wurmförmige Larve des Schmetterlings oder der Blattwespe mit beißenden Mundteilen, kurzen bekrallten Brustfüßen und stummelförmigen Afterfüßen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rufen |
Where the eye mixes Raupe and rufe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Raupe vs rufe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Raupe is [ˈʁaʊ̯pə] while rufe is [ˈʁuːfə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31051, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Raupe is recorded at frequency rank #24,084, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaʊ̯pə]. rufe is at rank #6,967, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁuːfə].
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 31051, this pair ranks #1,735,776 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Raupe vs rufe
Shared letters: eru. Private to "Raupe": ap. Private to "rufe": f.
"Raupe" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "rufe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Raupe" for "rufe" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Raupe" or "rufe"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Raupe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rufe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,735,776 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Raupe" and "rufe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "raunen vs Raupe". 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 #1,735,776 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.