TadelvsTodeConfusable pair

Which to use

“Tadel” and “Tode” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#46,313
“Tadel” frequency rank
#3,282
“Tode” frequency rank
49595
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tadel Tode
Definition Erziehungsmaßnahme mit verhaltenskorrigierender Funktion Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Tod

Where the eye mixes Tadel and Tode

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Tadel
4 ch
Tode

Why the eye confuses Tadel with Tode

A purely visual mix-up. Tadel ([ˈtaːdl̩]) and Tode ([ˈtoːdə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tadel is recorded at frequency rank #46,313, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtaːdl̩]. Tode is at rank #3,282, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtoːdə].

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 49595, this pair ranks #1,205,519 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Tadel vs Tode

Shared letters: det. Private to "Tadel": al. Private to "Tode": o.

"Tadel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Tode" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tadelatdel · taddel · tadell · tadle · taedl · tdael · ttadel
  • Todeotde · tdoe · todde · toed · ttode

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tadel" and "Tode" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtaːdl̩] versus [ˈtoːdə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Tadel" or "Tode" show up more?
"Tode" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,282 in our German list, against #46,313 for "Tadel". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Tadel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Tode" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,205,519 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Tadel" and "Tode" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Tadel vs tall". 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 #1,205,519 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list