tratenvstrotzenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,033
“traten” frequency rank
#27,523
“trotzen” frequency rank
32556
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature traten trotzen
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs treten sich einer Sache widersetzen, etwas die Stirn bieten, entgegentreten

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
traten
7 ch
trotzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. traten ([tʁaːtn̩]) and trotzen ([ˈtʁɔt͡sn̩]) 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 32556, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

traten is recorded at frequency rank #5,033, classified as averb, pronounced [tʁaːtn̩]. trotzen is at rank #27,523, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁɔt͡sn̩].

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 32556, this pair ranks #1,705,145 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of traten vs trotzen

Shared letters: enrt. Private to "traten": a. Private to "trotzen": oz.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tratenrtaten · tarten · traetn · tratenn · tratne · tratten · trraten · trtaen
  • trotzenrtotzen · tortzen · trotezn · trottzen · trotzenn · trotzne · trotzzen · trozten

Frequency comparison

traten#5,033
trotzen#27,523

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "traten" and "trotzen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([tʁaːtn̩] versus [ˈtʁɔt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "traten" or "trotzen"?
"traten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,033 in our German list, against #27,523 for "trotzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering traten vs trotzen

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 “traten” 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