Which to use
“trotz” is a preposition and “trotzen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #624
- “trotz” frequency rank
- #27,523
- “trotzen” frequency rank
- 28147
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | trotz | trotzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ungeachtet eines bestimmten Umstandes; ohne Rücksicht auf etwas; einer Sache zum Trotz | sich einer Sache widersetzen, etwas die Stirn bieten, entgegentreten |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set trotz and trotzen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: trotz is [tʁɔt͡s] while trotzen is [ˈtʁɔt͡sn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “trotz” sits inside “trotzen”, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28147, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
trotz is recorded at frequency rank #624, classified as aprep, pronounced [tʁɔt͡s]. trotzen is at rank #27,523, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁɔt͡sn̩].
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 28147, this pair ranks #1,789,752 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of trotz vs trotzen
Shared letters: ortz. Private to "trotz": -. Private to "trotzen": en.
"trotz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "trotzen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "trotz" and "trotzen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "trotz" or "trotzen"?
Remembering trotz vs trotzen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “trotz”; for a verb, it's “trotzen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “trotz” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable