trankenvstrennenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,425
“tranken” frequency rank
#3,779
“trennen” frequency rank
32204
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tranken trennen
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs trinken Personen oder Sachen auseinanderbringen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
tranken
7 ch
trennen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tranken ([ˈtʁaŋkn̩]) and trennen ([ˈtʁɛnən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32204, 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]. trennen is at rank #3,779, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁɛnən].

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 32204, this pair ranks #1,712,536 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tranken vs trennen

Shared letters: enrt. Private to "tranken": ak. Private to "trennen": -.

"tranken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "trennen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trankenrtanken · tarnken · traknen · tranekn · trankenn · trankken · trankne · trannken
  • trennenrtennen · ternnen · trenen · trenenn · trennenn · trennne · trnenen · trrennen

Frequency comparison

tranken#28,425
trennen#3,779

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tranken" and "trennen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtʁaŋkn̩] versus [ˈtʁɛnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tranken" or "trennen"?
"trennen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,779 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 trennen

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