Deutsch homophones

Tod/tot

"Tod" is a noun; "tot" is an adjective - grammar picks the spelling, not sound. Size rank #38 of 483 German groups.

Data vintage

Grammar picks the spelling

Same sound, different grammar: "Tod" arrives as a noun, while "tot" is an adjective. Once the sentence role is fixed, only one spelling fits.

Spelling pairs in this cluster

  • Single-letter fork: "Tod" keeps d, "tot" writes t at letter 3.

Orthographic DNA of this cluster

Shared letters across Tod, tot: ot. Private letters are the ones only one spelling owns: the eye's fastest tell once sound is out of the picture.

  • Tod

    3 letters · 1 vowels · shape CVC

    Inventory dot · private d

  • tot

    3 letters · 1 vowels · shape CVC

    Inventory ot · no private letters vs siblings

Pick the spelling from the meaning

  • Write "Tod" when you mean: das Ende des Sterbevorgangs
  • Write "tot" when you mean: nicht (mehr) lebend

Each spelling

Tod

noun · /toːt/ · #609 frequency

das Ende des Sterbevorgangs

tot

adjective · /toːt/ · #1,525 frequency

nicht (mehr) lebend

Nearby German homophone groups

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list