tagenvsTäternWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#608
“tagen” frequency rank
#16,304
“Tätern” frequency rank
16912
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tagen Tätern
Definition Tag werden Dativ Plural des Substantivs Täter

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tagen and Tätern apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
tagen
6 ch
Tätern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tagen is [ˈtaːɡn̩] while Tätern is [ˈtɛːtɐn]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16912, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tagen is recorded at frequency rank #608, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtaːɡn̩]. Tätern is at rank #16,304, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɛːtɐn].

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 16912, this pair ranks #1,931,976 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tagen vs Tätern

Shared letters: ent. Private to "tagen": ag. Private to "Tätern": .

"tagen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Tätern" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tagenatgen · taegn · tagenn · taggen · tagne · tgaen · ttagen

Frequency comparison

tagen#608
Tätern#16,304

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tagen" and "Tätern" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tagen" is a verb and "Tätern" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tagen" or "Tätern"?
"tagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #608 in our German list, against #16,304 for "Tätern". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering tagen vs Tätern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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