Which to use
“round” is an adjective and “runs” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,751
- “round” frequency rank
- #40,182
- “runs” frequency rank
- 61933
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | round | runs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | rund (kreisförmig) | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs run |
Where the eye mixes round and runs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: round vs runs
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: round is [raʊnd] 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 61933, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
round is recorded at frequency rank #21,751, classified as anadj, pronounced [raʊnd]. 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 61933, this pair ranks #731,366 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of round vs runs
Shared letters: nru. Private to "round": do. Private to "runs": s.
"round" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "runs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "round" and "runs" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "round" or "runs" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "round" 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 #731,366 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "round" and "runs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "RUB vs runs". 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 #731,366 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.