Which to use
“Ruine” and “Runge” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,535
- “Ruine” frequency rank
- #39,599
- “Runge” frequency rank
- 56134
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ruine | Runge |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | teilweise eingestürztes, verfallenes oder zerstörtes Bauwerk | seitlich an einer Ladefläche befestigte senkrechte Stange bei landwirtschaftlichen Fahrzeugen und Lastfahrzeugen zur Sicherung von Ladegut und Halterung von Seitenwänden |
Where the eye mixes Ruine and Runge
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Ruine (CVVCV) and Runge (CVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Ruine with Runge
A purely visual mix-up. Ruine ([ʁuˈiːnə]) and Runge ([ˈʁʊŋə]) 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 56134, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ruine is recorded at frequency rank #16,535, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʁuˈiːnə]. Runge is at rank #39,599, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʁʊŋə].
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 56134, this pair ranks #952,136 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Ruine vs Runge
Shared letters: enru. Private to "Ruine": i. Private to "Runge": g.
"Ruine" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "Runge" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Ruine" and "Runge" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Ruine" or "Runge" show up more?
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 "Ruine" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Runge" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #952,136 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ruine" and "Runge" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ringes vs Runge". 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 #952,136 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.