ReferatvsReferateWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,509
“Referat” frequency rank
#36,580
“Referate” frequency rank
48089
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Referat Referate
Definition Weitergabe von zuvor ermittelten Informationen Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Referat

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Referat and Referate apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Referat
8 ch
Referate

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Referat ([ʁefəˈʁaːt]) and Referate ([ʁefəˈʁaːtə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Referat” sits inside “Referate”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48089, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Referat is recorded at frequency rank #11,509, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʁefəˈʁaːt]. Referate is at rank #36,580, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁefəˈʁaːtə].

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 48089, this pair ranks #1,261,216 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Referat vs Referate

Shared letters: aefrt. Private to "Referat": -. Private to "Referate": -.

"Referat" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "Referate" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Referaterferat · reefrat · refeart · referatt · referrat · referta · refferat · refreat
  • Referateerferate · reefrate · refearte · referaet · referatte · referrate · refertae · refferate

Frequency comparison

Referat#11,509
Referate#36,580

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Referat" and "Referate" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁefəˈʁaːt] versus [ʁefəˈʁaːtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Referat" or "Referate"?
"Referat" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,509 in our German list, against #36,580 for "Referate". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Referat vs Referate

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 “Referat” 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