Which to use
“Ost” is a noun and “otte” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,356
- “Ost” frequency rank
- #38,325
- “otte” frequency rank
- 40681
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ost | otte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kurzform für die Haupthimmelsrichtung Osten in der Navigation, Seefahrt | acht |
Where the eye mixes Ost and otte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Ost with otte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ost is [ɔst] while otte is [ˈo̜ːdə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40681, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ost is recorded at frequency rank #2,356, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɔst]. otte is at rank #38,325, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈo̜ːdə].
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 40681, this pair ranks #1,501,474 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Ost vs otte
Shared letters: ot. Private to "Ost": s. Private to "otte": e.
"Ost" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "otte" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- otte ← ote · otet
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ost" for "otte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Ost" vs "otte" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ost" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "otte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,501,474 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ost" and "otte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "otte vs Outs". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,501,474 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.