tobtvstrübtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#20,089
“tobt” frequency rank
#39,671
“trübt” frequency rank
59760
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tobt trübt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs toben 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs trüben

Where the eye mixes tobt and trübt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. tobt runs 4 letters (CVCC) against trübt's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
tobt
5 ch
trübt

Look-alike desk: tobt vs trübt

A purely visual mix-up. tobt ([toːpt]) and trübt ([tʁyːpt]) 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 59760, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tobt is recorded at frequency rank #20,089, classified as averb, pronounced [toːpt]. trübt is at rank #39,671, tagged as averb, pronounced [tʁyːpt].

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 59760, this pair ranks #812,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tobt vs trübt

Shared letters: bt. Private to "tobt": o. Private to "trübt": rü.

"tobt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "trübt" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tobt ← otbt · tbot · tobbt · tobtt · totb · ttobt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tobt" and "trübt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([toːpt] versus [tʁyːpt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "tobt" vs "trübt" - which ranks higher?
"tobt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,089 in our German list, against #39,671 for "trübt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "tobt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "trübt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #812,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tobt" and "trübt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "taut vs trübt". 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 #812,398 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list