trachtenvstratenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,435
“trachten” frequency rank
#5,033
“traten” frequency rank
25468
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trachten traten
Definition etwas Bestimmtes zu erreichen versuchen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs treten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set trachten and traten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
trachten
6 ch
traten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. trachten ([ˈtʁaxtn̩]) and traten ([tʁaːtn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25468, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

trachten is recorded at frequency rank #20,435, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁaxtn̩]. traten is at rank #5,033, tagged as averb, pronounced [tʁaːtn̩].

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 25468, this pair ranks #1,832,807 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of trachten vs traten

Shared letters: aenrt. Private to "trachten": ch. Private to "traten": -.

"trachten" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC  ·  "traten" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trachtenrtachten · tarchten · tracchten · trachetn · trachhten · trachtenn · trachtne · trachtten
  • tratenrtaten · tarten · traetn · tratenn · tratne · tratten · trraten · trtaen

Frequency comparison

trachten#20,435
traten#5,033

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "trachten" and "traten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtʁaxtn̩] versus [tʁaːtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "trachten" or "traten"?
"traten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,033 in our German list, against #20,435 for "trachten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering trachten vs traten

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 “trachten” 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