trugvstuWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“trug” and “tu” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,471
“trug” frequency rank
#2,620
“tu” frequency rank
5091
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trug tu
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs tragen 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun

Where the eye mixes trug and tu

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
trug
2 ch
tu

Why the eye confuses trug with tu

A purely visual mix-up. trug ([tʁuːk]) and tu ([tuː]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

trug is recorded at frequency rank #2,471, classified as averb, pronounced [tʁuːk]. tu is at rank #2,620, tagged as averb, pronounced [tuː].

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 5091, this pair ranks #1,995,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of trug vs tu

Shared letters: tu. Private to "trug": gr. Private to "tu": -.

"trug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "tu" · 2 letters · shape CV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trugrtug · trgu · trrug · trugg · ttrug · turg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "trug" and "tu" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([tʁuːk] versus [tuː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "trug" or "tu"?
"trug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,471 in our German list, against #2,620 for "tu". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "trug" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,995,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "trug" and "tu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "taut vs tu". 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 #1,995,823 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