Which to use
“Träne” is a noun and “tranken” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,803
- “Träne” frequency rank
- #28,425
- “tranken” frequency rank
- 50228
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Träne | tranken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | salziger Tropfen, den das Auge beim Weinen vergießt | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs trinken |
Where the eye mixes Träne and tranken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Träne and tranken
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Träne is [ˈtʁɛːnə] while tranken is [ˈtʁaŋkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 50228, 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]. tranken is at rank #28,425, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁaŋkn̩].
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 50228, this pair ranks #1,181,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Träne vs tranken
Shared letters: enrt. Private to "Träne": ä. Private to "tranken": ak.
"Träne" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "tranken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tranken ← rtanken · tarnken · traknen · tranekn · trankenn · trankken · trankne · trannken
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Träne" and "tranken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Träne" or "tranken"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Träne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tranken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,181,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Träne" and "tranken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tränke vs tranken". 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 #1,181,674 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.