RudelvsRundeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,363
“Rudel” frequency rank
#1,040
“Runde” frequency rank
20403
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Rudel Runde
Definition (zeitweiliger) Zusammenschluss einer größeren Anzahl von bestimmten, wild lebenden Säugetierarten (besonders Gämsen, Hirsche, Wildschweine, Wölfe), kleiner als Herde das Absolvieren eines Weges, der wieder an seinen Ausgangspunkt zurückkehrt

Where the eye mixes Rudel and Runde

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Rudel (CVCVC) and Runde (CVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
Rudel
5 ch
Runde

Why the eye confuses Rudel with Runde

A purely visual mix-up. Rudel ([ˈʁuːdl̩]) and Runde ([ˈʁʊndə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20403, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Rudel is recorded at frequency rank #19,363, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁuːdl̩]. Runde is at rank #1,040, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁʊndə].

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 20403, this pair ranks #1,898,053 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Rudel vs Runde

Shared letters: deru. Private to "Rudel": l. Private to "Runde": n.

"Rudel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Runde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Rudel ← rduel · rrudel · ruddel · rudell · rudle · ruedl · urdel
  • Runde ← rnude · rrunde · rudne · rundde · runed · runnde · urnde

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Rudel" for "Runde" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁuːdl̩] versus [ˈʁʊndə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Rudel" vs "Runde" - which ranks higher?
"Runde" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,040 in our German list, against #19,363 for "Rudel". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Rudel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Runde" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,898,053 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Rudel" and "Runde" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Rades vs Rudel". 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 #1,898,053 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