Which to use
“true” is an adjective and “trügen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,645
- “true” frequency rank
- #48,553
- “trügen” frequency rank
- 58198
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | true | trügen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wahr, richtig | etwas Unzutreffendes vortäuschen |
Where the eye mixes true and trügen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. true runs 4 letters (CCVV) against trügen's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: true vs trügen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: true is [tɹuː] while trügen is [ˈtʁyːɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 58198, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
true is recorded at frequency rank #9,645, classified as anadj, pronounced [tɹuː]. trügen is at rank #48,553, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁyːɡn̩].
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 58198, this pair ranks #871,997 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of true vs trügen
Shared letters: ert. Private to "true": u. Private to "trügen": gnü.
"true" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "trügen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- true ← rtue · trrue · ttrue · ture
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "true" and "trügen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "true" vs "trügen" - which ranks higher?
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 "true" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "trügen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #871,997 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "true" and "trügen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "trügen vs trügt". 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 #871,997 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.