trotzvstrotzigWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: trotz is a preposition, trotzig is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“trotz” is a preposition and “trotzig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#624
“trotz” frequency rank
#37,830
“trotzig” frequency rank
38454
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trotz trotzig
Definition ungeachtet eines bestimmten Umstandes; ohne Rücksicht auf etwas; einer Sache zum Trotz eigensinnig, auf den eigenen Willen bestehend

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
trotz
7 ch
trotzig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: trotz is [tʁɔt͡s] while trotzig is [ˈtʁɔt͡sɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “trotz” sits inside “trotzig”, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38454, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

trotz is recorded at frequency rank #624, classified as aprep, pronounced [tʁɔt͡s]. trotzig is at rank #37,830, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈtʁɔt͡sɪç].

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 38454, this pair ranks #1,563,559 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of trotz vs trotzig

Shared letters: ortz. Private to "trotz": -. Private to "trotzig": gi.

"trotz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "trotzig" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trotzrtotz · tortz · trottz · trotzz · trozt · trrotz · trtoz · ttrotz
  • trotzigrtotzig · tortzig · trotizg · trottzig · trotzgi · trotzigg · trotzzig · troztig

Frequency comparison

trotz#624
trotzig#37,830

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "trotz" and "trotzig" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "trotz" is a preposition and "trotzig" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "trotz" or "trotzig"?
"trotz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #624 in our German list, against #37,830 for "trotzig". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering trotz vs trotzig

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “trotz”; for an adjective, it's “trotzig”.
  • 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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list