TankevsTanksWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,305
“Tanke” frequency rank
#18,404
“Tanks” frequency rank
50709
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tanke Tanks
Definition Tankstelle Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Tank

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Tanke and Tanks apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Tanke
5 ch
Tanks

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Tanke ([ˈtaŋkə]) and Tanks ([taŋks]) 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 a single letter - e in “Tanke” becomes s in “Tanks”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50709, 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]. Tanks is at rank #18,404, tagged as anoun, pronounced [taŋks].

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 50709, this pair ranks #1,163,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Tanke vs Tanks

Shared letters: aknt. Private to "Tanke": e. Private to "Tanks": s.

"Tanke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Tanks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tankeatnke · takne · tanek · tankke · tannke · tnake · ttanke
  • Tanksatnks · takns · tankks · tankss · tannks · tansk · tnaks · ttanks

Frequency comparison

Tanke#32,305
Tanks#18,404

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tanke" and "Tanks" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtaŋkə] versus [taŋks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Tanke" or "Tanks"?
"Tanks" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,404 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 Tanks

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