TanzvsTöneWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,488
“Tanz” frequency rank
#6,865
“Töne” frequency rank
10353
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tanz Töne
Definition (rhythmischer) Bewegungsablauf, der zu Musik oder rhythmischen Geräuschen ausgeführt wird Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ton

Where the eye mixes Tanz and Töne

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

4 ch
Tanz
4 ch
Töne

Why the eye confuses Tanz with Töne

A purely visual mix-up. Tanz ([tant͡s]) and Töne ([ˈtøːnə]) 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 10353, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tanz is recorded at frequency rank #3,488, classified as anoun, pronounced [tant͡s]. Töne is at rank #6,865, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtøːnə].

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 10353, this pair ranks #1,975,565 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Tanz vs Töne

Shared letters: nt. Private to "Tanz": az. Private to "Töne": .

"Tanz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Töne" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tanzatnz · tannz · tanzz · tazn · tnaz · ttanz

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Tanz" and "Töne" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([tant͡s] versus [ˈtøːnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Tanz" or "Töne"?
"Tanz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,488 in our German list, against #6,865 for "Töne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Tanz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Töne" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,975,565 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Tanz" and "Töne" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tine vs Töne". 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 #1,975,565 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