Which to use
“reiben” and “reite” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,678
- “reiben” frequency rank
- #37,746
- “reite” frequency rank
- 51424
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reiben | reite |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit einem Gegenstand oder Körperteil unter Druck an einem anderen entlangfahren | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs reiten |
Where the eye mixes reiben and reite
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between reiben and reite
A purely visual mix-up. reiben ([ˈʁaɪ̯bn̩]) and reite ([ˈʁaɪ̯tə]) 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 51424, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reiben is recorded at frequency rank #13,678, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaɪ̯bn̩]. reite is at rank #37,746, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaɪ̯tə].
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 51424, this pair ranks #1,136,067 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of reiben vs reite
Shared letters: eir. Private to "reiben": bn. Private to "reite": t.
"reiben" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "reite" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "reiben" for "reite" ever safe?
Which is more common, "reiben" or "reite"?
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 "reiben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reite" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,136,067 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "reiben" and "reite" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ragte vs reite". 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 #1,136,067 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.