trautvstrübConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#8,143
“traut” frequency rank
#36,672
“trüb” frequency rank
44815
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature traut trüb
Definition bestens bekannt und Wohlbehagen erweckend unklar, nicht transparent, stark undurchsichtig, fast nicht mehr durchsichtig

Where the eye mixes traut and trüb

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

5 ch
traut
4 ch
trüb

Why the eye confuses traut with trüb

A purely visual mix-up. traut ([tʁaʊ̯t]) and trüb ([tʁyːp]) 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 44815, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

traut is recorded at frequency rank #8,143, classified as anadj, pronounced [tʁaʊ̯t]. trüb is at rank #36,672, tagged as anadj, pronounced [tʁyːp].

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 44815, this pair ranks #1,373,842 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of traut vs trüb

Shared letters: rt. Private to "traut": au. Private to "trüb": .

"traut" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC  ·  "trüb" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trautrtaut · tarut · tratu · trautt · trraut · truat · ttraut

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "traut" for "trüb" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([tʁaʊ̯t] versus [tʁyːp]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "traut" or "trüb"?
"traut" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,143 in our German list, against #36,672 for "trüb". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "traut" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "trüb" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,373,842 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "traut" and "trüb" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "taut vs trüb". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,373,842 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list