ruhenvsruhteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,268
“ruhen” frequency rank
#36,599
“ruhte” frequency rank
44867
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ruhen ruhte
Definition sich erholen, eine Pause machen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs ruhen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ruhen and ruhte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
ruhen
5 ch
ruhte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ruhen ([ˈʁuːən]) and ruhte ([ˈʁuːtə]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44867, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ruhen is recorded at frequency rank #8,268, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʁuːən]. ruhte is at rank #36,599, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁuːtə].

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 44867, this pair ranks #1,372,097 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ruhen vs ruhte

Shared letters: ehru. Private to "ruhen": n. Private to "ruhte": t.

"ruhen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "ruhte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ruhenrhuen · rruhen · ruehn · ruhenn · ruhhen · ruhne · urhen
  • ruhterhute · rruhte · ruhet · ruhhte · ruhtte · ruthe · urhte

Frequency comparison

ruhen#8,268
ruhte#36,599

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ruhen" and "ruhte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʁuːən] versus [ˈʁuːtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ruhen" or "ruhte"?
"ruhen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,268 in our German list, against #36,599 for "ruhte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ruhen vs ruhte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ruhen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list