Which to use
“tilgen” and “tragen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,367
- “tilgen” frequency rank
- #786
- “tragen” frequency rank
- 30153
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tilgen | tragen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | geliehenes Geld (oder allgemein Schulden) wieder zurückzahlen | etwas mit den Armen oder auf dem Rücken von einem Ort zu einem anderen Ort transportieren |
Where the eye mixes tilgen and tragen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. tilgen (CVCCVC) and tragen (CCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between tilgen and tragen
A purely visual mix-up. tilgen ([ˈtɪlɡn̩]) 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 30153, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tilgen is recorded at frequency rank #29,367, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtɪlɡn̩]. 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 30153, this pair ranks #1,753,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tilgen vs tragen
Shared letters: egnt. Private to "tilgen": il. Private to "tragen": ar.
"tilgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "tragen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tilgen" for "tragen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tilgen" vs "tragen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "tilgen" and "tragen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "tilgen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tragen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,753,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tilgen" and "tragen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tilgen vs trügen". 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 #1,753,394 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.