TankevsTankerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,305
“Tanke” frequency rank
#30,318
“Tanker” frequency rank
62623
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tanke Tanker
Definition Tankstelle Schiff, das für den Transport flüssiger oder gasförmiger Güter bestimmt ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Tanke and Tanker apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Tanke
6 ch
Tanker

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Tanke ([ˈtaŋkə]) and Tanker ([ˈtaŋkɐ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Tanke” sits inside “Tanker”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62623, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tanke is recorded at frequency rank #32,305, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtaŋkə]. Tanker is at rank #30,318, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtaŋkɐ].

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 62623, this pair ranks #706,075 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Tanke vs Tanker

Shared letters: aeknt. Private to "Tanke": -. Private to "Tanker": r.

"Tanke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Tanker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tankeatnke · takne · tanek · tankke · tannke · tnake · ttanke
  • Tankeratnker · takner · tanekr · tankerr · tankker · tankre · tannker · tnaker

Frequency comparison

Tanke#32,305
Tanker#30,318

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tanke" and "Tanker" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtaŋkə] versus [ˈtaŋkɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Tanke" or "Tanker"?
"Tanker" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,318 in our German list, against #32,305 for "Tanke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Tanke vs Tanker

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Tanke” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list