Which to use
“ros” is an adjective and “runs” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,800
- “ros” frequency rank
- #40,182
- “runs” frequency rank
- 80982
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ros | runs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | blond | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs run |
Where the eye mixes ros and runs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. ros runs 3 letters (CVC) against runs's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ros with runs
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ros is [ros] while runs is [ɹʌnz]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80982, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ros is recorded at frequency rank #40,800, classified as anadj, pronounced [ros]. runs is at rank #40,182, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɹʌnz].
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 80982, this pair ranks #184,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ros vs runs
Shared letters: rs. Private to "ros": o. Private to "runs": nu.
"ros" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "runs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- runs ← rnus · rruns · runns · runss · rusn · urns
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ros" and "runs" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ros" or "runs" show up more?
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 "ros" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "runs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #184,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ros" and "runs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ros vs RUB". 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 #184,713 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.