taugenvstragenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,792
“taugen” frequency rank
#786
“tragen” frequency rank
22578
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature taugen tragen
Definition zu etwas nützlich/brauchbar sein etwas mit den Armen oder auf dem Rücken von einem Ort zu einem anderen Ort transportieren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set taugen and tragen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
taugen
6 ch
tragen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. taugen ([ˈtaʊ̯ɡn̩]) and tragen ([ˈtʁaːɡn̩]) 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 22578, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

taugen is recorded at frequency rank #21,792, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtaʊ̯ɡn̩]. tragen is at rank #786, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁaːɡn̩].

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 22578, this pair ranks #1,872,468 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of taugen vs tragen

Shared letters: aegnt. Private to "taugen": u. Private to "tragen": r.

"taugen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "tragen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • taugenatugen · taguen · tauegn · taugenn · tauggen · taugne · ttaugen · tuagen
  • tragenrtagen · targen · traegn · tragenn · traggen · tragne · trgaen · trragen

Frequency comparison

taugen#21,792
tragen#786

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "taugen" and "tragen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtaʊ̯ɡn̩] versus [ˈtʁaːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "taugen" or "tragen"?
"tragen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #786 in our German list, against #21,792 for "taugen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering taugen vs tragen

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 “taugen” 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