Which to use
“plagen” and “platzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,074
- “plagen” frequency rank
- #11,307
- “platzen” frequency rank
- 35381
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | plagen | platzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich großen Anstrengungen unterziehen | durch hohen Innendruck explodieren |
Where the eye mixes plagen and platzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. plagen runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against platzen's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses plagen with platzen
A purely visual mix-up. plagen ([ˈplaːɡn̩]) and platzen ([ˈplat͡sn̩]) 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 35381, 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]. platzen is at rank #11,307, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈplat͡sn̩].
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 35381, this pair ranks #1,641,360 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of plagen vs platzen
Shared letters: aelnp. Private to "plagen": g. Private to "platzen": tz.
"plagen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "platzen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "plagen" for "platzen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "plagen" or "platzen"?
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 "plagen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "platzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,641,360 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "plagen" and "platzen" 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 #1,641,360 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.