Which to use
“paaren” and “plagen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,145
- “paaren” frequency rank
- #24,074
- “plagen” frequency rank
- 38219
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | paaren | plagen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Geschlechtsakt ausüben, kopulieren (bei Tieren, bei Menschen: umgangssprachlich, abwertend) | sich großen Anstrengungen unterziehen |
Where the eye mixes paaren and plagen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. paaren (CVVCVC) and plagen (CCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between paaren and plagen
A purely visual mix-up. paaren ([ˈpaːʁən]) and plagen ([ˈplaːɡn̩]) 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 38219, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
paaren is recorded at frequency rank #14,145, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpaːʁən]. plagen is at rank #24,074, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈplaːɡn̩].
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 38219, this pair ranks #1,569,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of paaren vs plagen
Shared letters: aenp. Private to "paaren": r. Private to "plagen": gl.
"paaren" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "plagen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "paaren" for "plagen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "paaren" or "plagen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "paaren" and "plagen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "paaren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "plagen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,569,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "paaren" and "plagen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "plagen vs Planken". 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 #1,569,713 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.