RühreivsrührtWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Rührei is a noun, rührt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Rührei” is a noun and “rührt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#37,176
“Rührei” frequency rank
#11,512
“rührt” frequency rank
48688
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Rührei rührt
Definition mit Flüssigkeit (etwa Kondensmilch oder Sahne), Salz, Pfeffer und anderen Gewürzen verschlagene Eier, die in der Pfanne gestockt werden 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs rühren

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Rührei
5 ch
rührt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Rührei is [ˈʁyːɐ̯ˌʔaɪ̯] while rührt is [ʁyːɐ̯t]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48688, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Rührei is recorded at frequency rank #37,176, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁyːɐ̯ˌʔaɪ̯]. rührt is at rank #11,512, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʁyːɐ̯t].

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 48688, this pair ranks #1,239,325 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Rührei vs rührt

Shared letters: hrü. Private to "Rührei": ei. Private to "rührt": t.

"Rührei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV  ·  "rührt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Frequency comparison

Rührei#37,176
rührt#11,512

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Rührei" and "rührt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Rührei" is a noun and "rührt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Rührei" or "rührt"?
"rührt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,512 in our German list, against #37,176 for "Rührei". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Rührei vs rührt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Rührei”; for a verb, it's “rührt”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Rührei” 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