realenvsreellenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,713
“realen” frequency rank
#34,880
“reellen” frequency rank
41593
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature realen reellen
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs real Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs reell

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
realen
7 ch
reellen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. realen ([ʁeˈaːlən]) and reellen ([ʁeˈɛlən]) 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 41593, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

realen is recorded at frequency rank #6,713, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʁeˈaːlən]. reellen is at rank #34,880, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʁeˈɛlən].

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 41593, this pair ranks #1,474,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of realen vs reellen

Shared letters: elnr. Private to "realen": a. Private to "reellen": -.

"realen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "reellen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • realeneralen · raelen · reaeln · realenn · reallen · realne · relaen · rrealen
  • reellenerellen · reeleln · reelen · reellenn · reellne · relelen · rellen · rreellen

Frequency comparison

realen#6,713
reellen#34,880

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "realen" and "reellen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁeˈaːlən] versus [ʁeˈɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "realen" or "reellen"?
"realen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,713 in our German list, against #34,880 for "reellen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering realen vs reellen

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 “realen” 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