Which to use
“träge” is an adjective and “traue” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,926
- “träge” frequency rank
- #10,379
- “traue” frequency rank
- 33305
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | träge | traue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne inneren Antrieb | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs trauen |
Where the eye mixes träge and traue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: träge vs traue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: träge is [ˈtʁɛːɡə] while traue is [ˈtʁaʊ̯ə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33305, 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]. traue is at rank #10,379, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁaʊ̯ə].
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 33305, this pair ranks #1,688,846 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of träge vs traue
Shared letters: ert. Private to "träge": gä. Private to "traue": au.
"träge" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "traue" · 5 letters · shape CCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- traue ← rtaue · tarue · traeu · trraue · truae · ttraue
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "träge" and "traue" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "träge" vs "traue" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "traue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,688,846 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "träge" and "traue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "träge 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 #1,688,846 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.