Which to use
“Rede” and “Reif” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #868
- “Rede” frequency rank
- #7,983
- “Reif” frequency rank
- 8851
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Rede | Reif |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ansprache, Vortrag vor anderen Personen | kristalline Ablagerung aus gefrorenem Wasser, die sich in kalten Nächten durch Resublimation an Pflanzen und Gegenständen bildet |
Where the eye mixes Rede and Reif
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Rede with Reif
A purely visual mix-up. Rede ([ˈʁeːdə]) and Reif ([ʁaɪ̯f]) 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 8851, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Rede is recorded at frequency rank #868, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁeːdə]. Reif is at rank #7,983, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁaɪ̯f].
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 8851, this pair ranks #1,982,531 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Rede vs Reif
Shared letters: er. Private to "Rede": d. Private to "Reif": fi.
"Rede" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "Reif" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Rede" for "Reif" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Rede" or "Reif" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Rede" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Reif" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,982,531 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Rede" and "Reif" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rech vs Reif". 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 #1,982,531 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.