TagvstutWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: Tag is a noun, tut is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Tag” is a noun and “tut” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#189
“Tag” frequency rank
#560
“tut” frequency rank
749
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tag tut
Definition Zeitraum zwischen Sonnenaufgang und Sonnenuntergang 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun

Where the eye mixes Tag and tut

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
Tag
3 ch
tut

Visual trap between Tag and tut

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Tag is [taːk] while tut is [tuːt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 749, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tag is recorded at frequency rank #189, classified as anoun, pronounced [taːk]. tut is at rank #560, tagged as averb, pronounced [tuːt].

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 749, this pair ranks #2,005,403 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Tag vs tut

Shared letters: t. Private to "Tag": ag. Private to "tut": u.

"Tag" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tut" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Tag" and "tut" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Tag" is a noun and "tut" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Tag" or "tut"?
"Tag" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #189 in our German list, against #560 for "tut". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Tag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,005,403 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Tag" and "tut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "taut vs tut". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #2,005,403 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