Deutsch homophones
t/te/Tee
"t" is an abbrev; "te" is a pronoun - grammar picks the spelling, not sound. Size rank #5 of 483 German groups.
Data vintage
Grammar picks the spelling
Same sound, different grammar: "t" arrives as an abbrev, while "te" is a pronoun. Once the sentence role is fixed, only one spelling fits.
Spelling pairs in this cluster
- No shared spelling stem: "t" is 1 letters, "te" is 2; only the sound ties them.
- No shared spelling stem: "t" is 1 letters, "Tee" is 3; only the sound ties them.
- Shared stem "te" then splits - "te" (2 letters) vs "Tee" (3).
Orthographic DNA of this cluster
Shared letters across t, te, Tee: t. Private letters are the ones only one spelling owns: the eye's fastest tell once sound is out of the picture.
t
1 letters · 0 vowels · shape C
Inventory t · no private letters vs siblings
te
2 letters · 1 vowels · shape CV
Inventory et · private e
Tee
3 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVV
Inventory et · private e
Pick the spelling from the meaning
- Write "t" when you mean: Abkürzung für die Maßeinheit Tonne
- Write "te" when you mean: ihr, Sie (Höflichkeitsform)
- Write "Tee" when you mean: koffeinhaltiges, aus mit heißem Wasser übergossenen Teeblättern gewonnenes Getränk