TropfvstropftWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Tropf is a noun, tropft is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Tropf” is a noun and “tropft” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,489
“Tropf” frequency rank
#29,372
“tropft” frequency rank
64861
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tropf tropft
Definition Vorrichtung für eine medizinische Infusion 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tropfen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Tropf
6 ch
tropft

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Tropf is [tʁɔp͡f] while tropft is [tʁɔp͡ft]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Tropf” sits inside “tropft”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64861, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tropf is recorded at frequency rank #35,489, classified as anoun, pronounced [tʁɔp͡f]. tropft is at rank #29,372, tagged as averb, pronounced [tʁɔp͡ft].

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 64861, this pair ranks #626,691 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Tropf vs tropft

Shared letters: foprt. Private to "Tropf": -. Private to "tropft": -.

"Tropf" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "tropft" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tropfrtopf · torpf · trofp · tropff · troppf · trpof · trropf · ttropf
  • tropftrtopft · torpft · trofpt · tropfft · tropftt · troppft · troptf · trpoft

Frequency comparison

Tropf#35,489
tropft#29,372

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tropf" and "tropft" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Tropf" is a noun and "tropft" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Tropf" or "tropft"?
"tropft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,372 in our German list, against #35,489 for "Tropf". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Tropf vs tropft

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Tropf”; for a verb, it's “tropft”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Tropf” 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