Which to use
“Ruf” and “Ruhe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,317
- “Ruf” frequency rank
- #1,120
- “Ruhe” frequency rank
- 3437
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ruf | Ruhe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Laut, der an jemanden adressiert ist | Abwesenheit von Ablenkung, Störung, Geräusch und Bewegung; (fast völlige) Stille und Bewegungslosigkeit |
Where the eye mixes Ruf and Ruhe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Ruf vs Ruhe
A purely visual mix-up. Ruf ([ʁuːf]) and Ruhe ([ˈʁuːə]) 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 3437, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ruf is recorded at frequency rank #2,317, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʁuːf]. Ruhe is at rank #1,120, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁuːə].
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 3437, this pair ranks #2,000,226 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ruf vs Ruhe
Shared letters: ru. Private to "Ruf": f. Private to "Ruhe": eh.
"Ruf" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Ruhe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Ruhe ← rhue · rruhe · rueh · ruhhe · urhe
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ruf" for "Ruhe" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Ruf" or "Ruhe" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ruf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ruhe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,000,226 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ruf" and "Ruhe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "RUB vs Ruf". 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 #2,000,226 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.