trägevstränkeConfusable pair

Quick tell: träge is a adjective, tränke is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“träge” is an adjective and “tränke” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,926
“träge” frequency rank
#46,338
“tränke” frequency rank
69264
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature träge tränke
Definition ohne inneren Antrieb 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tränken

Where the eye mixes träge and tränke

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. träge runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against tränke's 6 (CCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
träge
6 ch
tränke

Look-alike desk: träge vs tränke

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: träge is [ˈtʁɛːɡə] while tränke is [ˈtʁɛŋkə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69264, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

träge is recorded at frequency rank #22,926, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈtʁɛːɡə]. tränke is at rank #46,338, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁɛŋkə].

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 69264, this pair ranks #481,923 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of träge vs tränke

Shared letters: ertä. Private to "träge": g. Private to "tränke": kn.

"träge" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "tränke" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "träge" and "tränke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "träge" is an adjective and "tränke" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "träge" vs "tränke" - which ranks higher?
"träge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,926 in our German list, against #46,338 for "tränke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "träge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tränke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #481,923 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "träge" and "tränke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Trainee vs tränke". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #481,923 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