to grope
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to grope
To move forward uncertainly and by feeling one’s way, usually because one cannot see anything or can see very little.
Nachdem das Licht ausging, tappte er vorsichtig durch den dunklen Flur.
After the light went out, he groped carefully through the dark hallway.
The word 'tappen' (to grope) is onomatopoeic. The sound of the word imitates the noise of uncertain, feeling steps ('tapp, tapp, tapp').
Man hörte ihn im Dunkeln durch die Wohnung tappen.
You could hear him groping through the apartment in the dark.
In its literal meaning, 'tappen' (to grope) is often combined with a preposition and a place to describe the direction or path of the uncertain movement.
Sie tappte schlaftrunken in die Küche, um Wasser zu trinken.
Half asleep, she groped her way into the kitchen to drink some water.
The idiom 'im Dunkeln tappen' (to be in the dark) means that someone is clueless. The preposition 'im' with the dative is a fixed part of the expression here.
Was die Pläne der Konkurrenz angeht, tappen wir noch völlig im Dunkeln.
As far as the competitors’ plans are concerned, we are still completely in the dark.
The idiom 'in die Falle tappen' (to fall into the trap) means to fall for a trick. Here, the preposition 'in' is always used with the accusative ('die Falle').
Der Betrüger hoffte, dass jemand in seine Falle tappen würde.
The fraudster hoped that someone would fall into his trap.
to know
'wissen' and 'tappen' can form a contrast in the context of information. 'wissen' means that you have a piece of information or know what's going on in a situation. 'tappen' has this meaning only in the fixed expression 'im Dunkeln tappen' (to be in the dark). Then it means that you have no clear information and are clueless. So you do not simply say 'ich tappe die Antwort'; you say 'ich tappe im Dunkeln'. If you are reliably informed, 'wissen' fits; if you still know nothing definite at all, 'im Dunkeln tappen' fits.
Bei der Ursache des Fehlers tappen wir noch im Dunkeln.
We are still in the dark about the cause of the error.
Nach dem Anruf weiß Maria endlich, wann der Zug fährt.
After the call, Maria finally knows when the train leaves.