RegelvsReigenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#892
“Regel” frequency rank
#34,331
“Reigen” frequency rank
35223
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Regel Reigen
Definition Verhaltensvorschrift alter Rundtanz, bei dem eine größere Anzahl von Tänzern einem Vortänzer in schreitender oder hüpfender Weise folgt; der Tanz wird von Gesang begleitet

Where the eye mixes Regel and Reigen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Regel runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against Reigen's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Regel
6 ch
Reigen

Why the eye confuses Regel with Reigen

A purely visual mix-up. Regel ([ˈʁeːɡl̩]) and Reigen ([ˈʁaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 35223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Regel is recorded at frequency rank #892, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁeːɡl̩]. Reigen is at rank #34,331, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁaɪ̯ɡn̩].

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 35223, this pair ranks #1,645,064 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Regel vs Reigen

Shared letters: egr. Private to "Regel": l. Private to "Reigen": in.

"Regel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Reigen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Regel ← ergel · reegl · regell · reggel · regle · rgeel · rregel
  • Reigen ← erigen · reiegn · reigenn · reiggen · riegen · rreigen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Regel" and "Reigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁeːɡl̩] versus [ˈʁaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Regel" or "Reigen"?
"Regel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #892 in our German list, against #34,331 for "Reigen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Regel" and "Reigen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Regel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Reigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,645,064 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Regel" and "Reigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reibe vs Reigen". 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 #1,645,064 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list