TANvstesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#15,492
“TAN” frequency rank
#44,969
“tes” frequency rank
60461
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature TAN tes
Definition Transaktionsnummer Plural des Substantivs te

Where the eye mixes TAN and tes

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

3 ch
TAN
3 ch
tes

Look-alike desk: TAN vs tes

A purely visual mix-up. TAN ([tan]) and tes ([tɛs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

TAN is recorded at frequency rank #15,492, classified as anoun, pronounced [tan]. tes is at rank #44,969, tagged as anoun, pronounced [tɛs].

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 60461, this pair ranks #786,113 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of TAN vs tes

Shared letters: t. Private to "TAN": an. Private to "tes": es.

"TAN" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tes" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "TAN" and "tes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([tan] versus [tɛs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "TAN" or "tes"?
"TAN" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,492 in our German list, against #44,969 for "tes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "TAN" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #786,113 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "TAN" and "tes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tes vs trees". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #786,113 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