trügenvstuenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,553
“trügen” frequency rank
#32,318
“tuen” frequency rank
80871
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trügen tuen
Definition etwas Unzutreffendes vortäuschen 1. Person Plural Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set trügen and tuen apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
trügen
4 ch
tuen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. trügen ([ˈtʁyːɡn̩]) and tuen ([ˈtuːən]) 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 80871, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

trügen is recorded at frequency rank #48,553, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtʁyːɡn̩]. tuen is at rank #32,318, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtuːən].

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 80871, this pair ranks #186,812 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of trügen vs tuen

Shared letters: ent. Private to "trügen": grü. Private to "tuen": u.

"trügen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "tuen" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tuenteun · ttuen · tuenn · tune · uten

Frequency comparison

trügen#48,553
tuen#32,318

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "trügen" and "tuen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtʁyːɡn̩] versus [ˈtuːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "trügen" or "tuen"?
"tuen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,318 in our German list, against #48,553 for "trügen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering trügen vs tuen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “trügen” 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