trankenvstratenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,425
“tranken” frequency rank
#5,033
“traten” frequency rank
33458
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tranken traten
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs trinken 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs treten

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
tranken
6 ch
traten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tranken ([ˈtʁaŋkn̩]) and traten ([tʁaːtn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33458, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tranken is recorded at frequency rank #28,425, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁaŋkn̩]. traten is at rank #5,033, tagged as averb, pronounced [tʁaːtn̩].

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 33458, this pair ranks #1,685,566 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tranken vs traten

Shared letters: aenrt. Private to "tranken": k. Private to "traten": -.

"tranken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "traten" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trankenrtanken · tarnken · traknen · tranekn · trankenn · trankken · trankne · trannken
  • tratenrtaten · tarten · traetn · tratenn · tratne · tratten · trraten · trtaen

Frequency comparison

tranken#28,425
traten#5,033

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tranken" and "traten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtʁaŋkn̩] versus [tʁaːtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tranken" or "traten"?
"traten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,033 in our German list, against #28,425 for "tranken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tranken vs traten

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 “tranken” 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