reiftvsreimeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,589
“reift” frequency rank
#33,778
“reime” frequency rank
73367
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reift reime
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs reifen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs reimen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
reift
5 ch
reime

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reift ([ʁaɪ̯ft]) and reime ([ˈʁaɪ̯mə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73367, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reift is recorded at frequency rank #39,589, classified as averb, pronounced [ʁaɪ̯ft]. reime is at rank #33,778, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁaɪ̯mə].

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 73367, this pair ranks #362,345 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of reift vs reime

Shared letters: eir. Private to "reift": ft. Private to "reime": m.

"reift" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "reime" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reifterift · refit · reifft · reiftt · reitf · rieft · rreift
  • reimeerime · reiem · reimme · remie · rieme · rreime

Frequency comparison

reift#39,589
reime#33,778

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reift" and "reime" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁaɪ̯ft] versus [ˈʁaɪ̯mə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "reift" or "reime"?
"reime" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,778 in our German list, against #39,589 for "reift". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reift vs reime

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 “reift” 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