trauenvstrübenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,656
“trauen” frequency rank
#20,753
“trüben” frequency rank
26409
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trauen trüben
Definition das Gefühl haben, sich darauf verlassen zu können, dass etwas oder jemand so handeln oder funktionieren wird, wie man es sich vorstellt dunkel machen oder werden

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
trauen
6 ch
trüben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. trauen ([ˈtʁaʊ̯ən]) 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 26409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

trauen is recorded at frequency rank #5,656, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁaʊ̯ən]. 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 26409, this pair ranks #1,818,566 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of trauen vs trüben

Shared letters: enrt. Private to "trauen": au. Private to "trüben": .

"trauen" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC  ·  "trüben" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trauenrtauen · taruen · traeun · trauenn · traune · trrauen · truaen · ttrauen

Frequency comparison

trauen#5,656
trüben#20,753

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "trauen" and "trüben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtʁaʊ̯ən] versus [ˈtʁyːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "trauen" or "trüben"?
"trauen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,656 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 trauen 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 “trauen” 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