ReisvsRelaisWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,419
“Reis” frequency rank
#33,781
“Relais” frequency rank
39200
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Reis Relais
Definition weißes, gekocht gegessenes Getreide mit Hilfsenergie betätigter elektromechanischer Schalter

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Reis
6 ch
Relais

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Reis ([ʁaɪ̯s]) and Relais ([ʁəˈlɛː]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39200, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Reis is recorded at frequency rank #5,419, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʁaɪ̯s]. Relais is at rank #33,781, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁəˈlɛː].

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 39200, this pair ranks #1,543,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Reis vs Relais

Shared letters: eirs. Private to "Reis": -. Private to "Relais": al.

"Reis" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Relais" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Reiseris · reiss · resi · rreis
  • Relaiserlais · realis · relaiss · relasi · relias · rellais · rleais · rrelais

Frequency comparison

Reis#5,419
Relais#33,781

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Reis" and "Relais" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʁaɪ̯s] versus [ʁəˈlɛː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Reis" or "Relais"?
"Reis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,419 in our German list, against #33,781 for "Relais". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Reis vs Relais

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 “Reis” 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