tragenvstrügenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#786
“tragen” frequency rank
#48,553
“trügen” frequency rank
49339
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tragen trügen
Definition etwas mit den Armen oder auf dem Rücken von einem Ort zu einem anderen Ort transportieren etwas Unzutreffendes vortäuschen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tragen and trügen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tragen
6 ch
trügen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tragen ([ˈtʁaːɡn̩]) and trügen ([ˈtʁyːɡn̩]) 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 a single letter - a in “tragen” becomes ü in “trügen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49339, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tragen is recorded at frequency rank #786, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁaːɡn̩]. trügen is at rank #48,553, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁyːɡn̩].

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 49339, this pair ranks #1,215,226 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tragen vs trügen

Shared letters: egnrt. Private to "tragen": a. Private to "trügen": ü.

"tragen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "trügen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tragenrtagen · targen · traegn · tragenn · traggen · tragne · trgaen · trragen

Frequency comparison

tragen#786
trügen#48,553

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tragen" and "trügen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtʁaːɡn̩] versus [ˈtʁyːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tragen" or "trügen"?
"tragen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #786 in our German list, against #48,553 for "trügen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering tragen vs trügen

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 “tragen” 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