RehevsRuheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,739
“Rehe” frequency rank
#1,120
“Ruhe” frequency rank
33859
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Rehe Ruhe
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Reh Abwesenheit von Ablenkung, Störung, Geräusch und Bewegung; (fast völlige) Stille und Bewegungslosigkeit

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Rehe and Ruhe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Rehe
4 ch
Ruhe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Rehe ([ˈʁeːə]) and Ruhe ([ˈʁuːə]) 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 a single letter - e in “Rehe” becomes u in “Ruhe”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33859, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Rehe is recorded at frequency rank #32,739, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁeːə]. Ruhe is at rank #1,120, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁuːə].

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 33859, this pair ranks #1,676,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Rehe vs Ruhe

Shared letters: ehr. Private to "Rehe": -. Private to "Ruhe": u.

"Rehe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Ruhe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Rehereeh · rehhe · rhee · rrehe
  • Ruherhue · rruhe · rueh · ruhhe · urhe

Frequency comparison

Rehe#32,739
Ruhe#1,120

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Rehe" and "Ruhe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁeːə] versus [ˈʁuːə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Rehe" or "Ruhe"?
"Ruhe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,120 in our German list, against #32,739 for "Rehe". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Rehe vs Ruhe

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 “Rehe” 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