tannvsthenConfusable pair

Quick tell: tann is a pronoun, then is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tann” is a pronoun and “then” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#44,964
“tann” frequency rank
#17,149
“then” frequency rank
62113
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tann then
Definition der, die, das; dieser, diese, dieses Bezug zu einem im Text vorher genannten Zeitpunkt

Where the eye mixes tann and then

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
tann
4 ch
then

Visual trap between tann and then

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tann is [tanː] while then is [ðɛn]. 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 (pronoun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62113, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tann is recorded at frequency rank #44,964, classified as apron, pronounced [tanː]. then is at rank #17,149, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ðɛn].

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 62113, this pair ranks #724,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tann vs then

Shared letters: nt. Private to "tann": a. Private to "then": eh.

"tann" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tannatnn · tnan · ttann
  • thenhten · tehn · thenn · thhen · thne · tthen

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "tann" and "then" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tann" is a pronoun and "then" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tann" or "then"?
"then" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,149 in our German list, against #44,964 for "tann". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "tann" and "then" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "tann" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "then" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #724,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tann" and "then" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tann vs tine". 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 #724,674 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