TränevstränkeWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#21,803
“Träne” frequency rank
#46,338
“tränke” frequency rank
68141
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Träne tränke
Definition salziger Tropfen, den das Auge beim Weinen vergießt 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tränken

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Träne
6 ch
tränke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Träne is [ˈtʁɛːnə] 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68141, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Träne is recorded at frequency rank #21,803, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtʁɛːnə]. 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 68141, this pair ranks #517,385 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Träne vs tränke

Shared letters: enrtä. Private to "Träne": -. Private to "tränke": k.

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

Frequency comparison

Träne#21,803
tränke#46,338

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Träne" and "tränke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Träne" is a noun and "tränke" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Träne" or "tränke"?
"Träne" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,803 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.

Remembering Träne vs tränke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Träne”; for a verb, it's “tränke”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Träne” 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