regnenvsRunenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: regnen is a verb, Runen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“regnen” is a verb and “Runen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,906
“regnen” frequency rank
#32,242
“Runen” frequency rank
47148
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature regnen Runen
Definition in Tropfenform zu Boden fallen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Rune

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set regnen and Runen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
regnen
5 ch
Runen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: regnen is [ˈʁeːɡnən] while Runen is [ˈʁuːnən]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47148, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

regnen is recorded at frequency rank #14,906, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁeːɡnən]. Runen is at rank #32,242, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁuːnən].

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 47148, this pair ranks #1,294,524 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of regnen vs Runen

Shared letters: enr. Private to "regnen": g. Private to "Runen": u.

"regnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Runen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • regnenergnen · reggnen · regnenn · regnne · regnnen · rengen · rgenen · rregnen
  • Runenrnuen · rrunen · ruenn · runenn · runne · runnen

Frequency comparison

regnen#14,906
Runen#32,242

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "regnen" and "Runen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "regnen" is a verb and "Runen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "regnen" or "Runen"?
"regnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,906 in our German list, against #32,242 for "Runen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering regnen vs Runen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “regnen”; for a noun, it's “Runen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “regnen” 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