trägevstrügtWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#22,926
“träge” frequency rank
#42,877
“trügt” frequency rank
65803
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature träge trügt
Definition ohne inneren Antrieb 2. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs tragen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set träge and trügt apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
träge
5 ch
trügt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: träge is [ˈtʁɛːɡə] while trügt is [tʁyːkt]. 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 65803, 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]. trügt is at rank #42,877, tagged as averb, pronounced [tʁyːkt].

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 65803, this pair ranks #594,471 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of träge vs trügt

Shared letters: grt. Private to "träge": . Private to "trügt": ü.

"träge" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "trügt" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Frequency comparison

träge#22,926
trügt#42,877

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "träge" and "trügt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "träge" is an adjective and "trügt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "träge" or "trügt"?
"träge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,926 in our German list, against #42,877 for "trügt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering träge vs trügt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “träge”; for a verb, it's “trügt”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “träge” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list