trockenenvstrocknetTell them apart

Quick tell: trockenen is a adjective, trocknet is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“trockenen” is an adjective and “trocknet” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,145
“trockenen” frequency rank
#26,652
“trocknet” frequency rank
34797
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trockenen trocknet
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs trocken 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs trocknen

Where the eye mixes trockenen and trocknet

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. trockenen runs 9 letters (CCVCCVCVC) against trocknet's 8 (CCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
trockenen
8 ch
trocknet

Why the eye confuses trockenen with trocknet

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: trockenen is [ˈtʁɔkənən] while trocknet is [ˈtʁɔknət]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34797, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

trockenen is recorded at frequency rank #8,145, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈtʁɔkənən]. trocknet is at rank #26,652, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁɔknət].

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 34797, this pair ranks #1,655,054 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of trockenen vs trocknet

Shared letters: ceknort. Private to "trockenen": -. Private to "trocknet": -.

"trockenen" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCVC  ·  "trocknet" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trockenen ← rtockenen · torckenen · trcokenen · trocckenen · troceknen · trockeenn · trockenenn · trockenne
  • trocknet ← rtocknet · torcknet · trcoknet · troccknet · trockent · trockknet · trocknett · trocknnet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "trockenen" for "trocknet" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "trockenen" is an adjective and "trocknet" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "trockenen" vs "trocknet" - which ranks higher?
"trockenen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,145 in our German list, against #26,652 for "trocknet". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "trockenen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "trocknet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,655,054 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "trockenen" and "trocknet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "trockenem vs trocknet". 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 #1,655,054 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