Which to use
“tasten” and “trösten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,959
- “tasten” frequency rank
- #16,302
- “trösten” frequency rank
- 30261
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tasten | trösten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | versuchen, die Gegenstände seiner Umgebung durch Berühren wahrzunehmen | jemandem durch Anteilnahme, Worte oder Anwesenheit Trost spenden |
Where the eye mixes tasten and trösten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tasten runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against trösten's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between tasten and trösten
A purely visual mix-up. tasten ([ˈtastn̩]) and trösten ([ˈtʁøːstn̩]) 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 30261, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tasten is recorded at frequency rank #13,959, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtastn̩]. trösten is at rank #16,302, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁøːstn̩].
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 30261, this pair ranks #1,751,329 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tasten vs trösten
Shared letters: enst. Private to "tasten": a. Private to "trösten": rö.
"tasten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "trösten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tasten ← atsten · tasetn · tassten · tastenn · tastne · tastten · tatsen · tsaten
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tasten" and "trösten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "tasten" vs "trösten" - which ranks higher?
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 "tasten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "trösten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,751,329 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tasten" and "trösten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tasten vs Taxen". 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 #1,751,329 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.