plagenvsplagtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,074
“plagen” frequency rank
#41,394
“plagt” frequency rank
65468
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature plagen plagt
Definition sich großen Anstrengungen unterziehen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs plagen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
plagen
5 ch
plagt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. plagen ([ˈplaːɡn̩]) and plagt ([plaːkt]) 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 65468, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

plagen is recorded at frequency rank #24,074, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈplaːɡn̩]. plagt is at rank #41,394, tagged as averb, pronounced [plaːkt].

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 65468, this pair ranks #605,908 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of plagen vs plagt

Shared letters: aglp. Private to "plagen": en. Private to "plagt": t.

"plagen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "plagt" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • plagenlpagen · palgen · plaegn · plagenn · plaggen · plagne · plgaen · pllagen
  • plagtlpagt · palgt · plaggt · plagtt · platg · plgat · pllagt · pplagt

Frequency comparison

plagen#24,074
plagt#41,394

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "plagen" and "plagt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈplaːɡn̩] versus [plaːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "plagen" or "plagt"?
"plagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,074 in our German list, against #41,394 for "plagt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering plagen vs plagt

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 “plagen” 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