Which to use
“Bit” is a noun and “but” is a conjunction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,183
- “Bit” frequency rank
- #6,402
- “but” frequency rank
- 14585
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Bit | but |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kleinste auf Rechnern darstellbare Informationseinheit | aber |
Where the eye mixes Bit and but
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Bit vs but
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Bit is [bɪt] while but is [bʌt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “Bit” becomes u in “but”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs conjunction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14585, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Bit is recorded at frequency rank #8,183, classified as anoun, pronounced [bɪt]. but is at rank #6,402, tagged as aconj, pronounced [bʌt].
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 14585, this pair ranks #1,950,183 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Bit vs but
Shared letters: bt. Private to "Bit": i. Private to "but": u.
"Bit" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "but" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Bit" and "but" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Bit" or "but" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Bit" and "but" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Bit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "but" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,950,183 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Bit" and "but" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bims vs Bit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,950,183 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.