Which to use
“Tanker” and “Täufer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,318
- “Tanker” frequency rank
- #34,409
- “Täufer” frequency rank
- 64727
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Tanker | Täufer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schiff, das für den Transport flüssiger oder gasförmiger Güter bestimmt ist | jemand, der eine Taufe durchführt |
Where the eye mixes Tanker and Täufer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Tanker (CVCCVC) and Täufer (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Tanker with Täufer
A purely visual mix-up. Tanker ([ˈtaŋkɐ]) and Täufer ([ˈtɔɪ̯fɐ]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64727, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Tanker is recorded at frequency rank #30,318, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtaŋkɐ]. Täufer is at rank #34,409, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɔɪ̯fɐ].
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 64727, this pair ranks #631,416 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Tanker vs Täufer
Shared letters: ert. Private to "Tanker": akn. Private to "Täufer": fuä.
"Tanker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Täufer" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Tanker ← atnker · takner · tanekr · tankerr · tankker · tankre · tannker · tnaker
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Tanker" for "Täufer" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Tanker" vs "Täufer" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Tanker" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Täufer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #631,416 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Tanker" and "Täufer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Täufer vs Tuner". 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 #631,416 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.