RsvsRusTell them apart

Which to use

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

#12,371
“Rs” frequency rank
#30,267
“Rus” frequency rank
42638
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Rs Rus
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs R Gebiet der ostslawischen Staats- und Gemeinwesen vom 9. bis zum 17. Jahrhundert

Where the eye mixes Rs and Rus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

2 ch
Rs
3 ch
Rus

Visual trap between Rs and Rus

A purely visual mix-up. Rs ([ɛʁs]) and Rus ([ʁʊs]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Rs is recorded at frequency rank #12,371, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛʁs]. Rus is at rank #30,267, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁʊs].

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 42638, this pair ranks #1,443,179 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Rs vs Rus

Shared letters: rs. Private to "Rs": -. Private to "Rus": u.

"Rs" · 2 letters · shape CC  ·  "Rus" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Rs" for "Rus" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛʁs] versus [ʁʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Rs" or "Rus" show up more?
"Rs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,371 in our German list, against #30,267 for "Rus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Rs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Rus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,443,179 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Rs" and "Rus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "RUB vs Rus". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,443,179 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list