tratenvstrübenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,033
“traten” frequency rank
#20,753
“trüben” frequency rank
25786
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature traten trüben
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs treten dunkel machen oder werden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set traten and trüben apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
traten
6 ch
trüben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. traten ([tʁaːtn̩]) and trüben ([ˈtʁyːbn̩]) 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 25786, 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]. trüben is at rank #20,753, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁyːbn̩].

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 25786, this pair ranks #1,827,984 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of traten vs trüben

Shared letters: enrt. Private to "traten": a. Private to "trüben": .

"traten" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "trüben" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tratenrtaten · tarten · traetn · tratenn · tratne · tratten · trraten · trtaen

Frequency comparison

traten#5,033
trüben#20,753

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "traten" and "trüben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([tʁaːtn̩] versus [ˈtʁyːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "traten" or "trüben"?
"traten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,033 in our German list, against #20,753 for "trüben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering traten vs trüben

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