Which to use
“Reif” is a noun and “reift” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,983
- “Reif” frequency rank
- #39,589
- “reift” frequency rank
- 47572
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Reif | reift |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kristalline Ablagerung aus gefrorenem Wasser, die sich in kalten Nächten durch Resublimation an Pflanzen und Gegenständen bildet | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs reifen |
Where the eye mixes Reif and reift
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Reif runs 4 letters (CVVC) against reift's 5 (CVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Reif and reift
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Reif is [ʁaɪ̯f] while reift is [ʁaɪ̯ft]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Reif” sits inside “reift”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47572, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Reif is recorded at frequency rank #7,983, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʁaɪ̯f]. reift is at rank #39,589, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʁaɪ̯ft].
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 47572, this pair ranks #1,279,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Reif vs reift
Shared letters: efir. Private to "Reif": -. Private to "reift": t.
"Reif" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "reift" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Reif" for "reift" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Reif" vs "reift" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Reif" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reift" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,279,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Reif" and "reift" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "regst vs reift". 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 #1,279,603 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.