Which to use
“rennen” is a verb and “runner” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,429
- “rennen” frequency rank
- #25,292
- “runner” frequency rank
- 26721
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rennen | runner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich schnell zu Fuß fortbewegen, schnell laufen | Läufer |
Where the eye mixes rennen and runner
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses rennen with runner
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rennen is [ˈʁɛnən] while runner is [ˈrʌnəʳ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26721, 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]. runner is at rank #25,292, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈrʌnəʳ].
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 26721, this pair ranks #1,813,518 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of rennen vs runner
Shared letters: enr. Private to "rennen": -. Private to "runner": u.
"rennen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "runner" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rennen" and "runner" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "rennen" vs "runner" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "rennen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "runner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,813,518 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rennen" and "runner" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rinnen vs runner". 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 #1,813,518 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.