rennenvsrinnenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,429
“rennen” frequency rank
#46,945
“rinnen” frequency rank
48374
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rennen rinnen
Definition sich schnell zu Fuß fortbewegen, schnell laufen langsam und in geringer Menge fließen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rennen and rinnen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
rennen
6 ch
rinnen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. rennen ([ˈʁɛnən]) and rinnen ([ˈʁɪnən]) 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 “rennen” becomes i in “rinnen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48374, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rennen is recorded at frequency rank #1,429, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɛnən]. rinnen is at rank #46,945, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɪnən].

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 48374, this pair ranks #1,250,883 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of rennen vs rinnen

Shared letters: enr. Private to "rennen": -. Private to "rinnen": i.

"rennen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "rinnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • rennenernnen · renen · renenn · rennenn · rennne · rnenen · rrennen
  • rinnenirnnen · rinenn · rinnenn · rinnne · rninen · rrinnen

Frequency comparison

rennen#1,429
rinnen#46,945

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rennen" and "rinnen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁɛnən] versus [ˈʁɪnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "rennen" or "rinnen"?
"rennen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,429 in our German list, against #46,945 for "rinnen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering rennen vs rinnen

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 “rennen” 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