TaovstiloConfusable pair

Quick tell: Tao is a noun, tilo is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Tao” is a noun and “tilo” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#30,319
“Tao” frequency rank
#31,822
“tilo” frequency rank
62141
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tao tilo
Definition Grundprinzip der chinesischen Philosophie und Religion des Taoismus, oft mit „Weg“ übersetzt; höchste Realität; schöpferischer Urgrund Kardinalzahl zwischen null und zwei; eins

Letter map: Tao vs tilo

Shared letters muted; letters that set Tao and tilo apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.

3 ch
Tao
4 ch
tilo

Grammar separator: Tao vs tilo

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: Tao is anoun and tiloanum. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62141, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tao is recorded at frequency rank #30,319, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. tilo is at rank #31,822, tagged as anum, pronounced [tìló].

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 62141, this pair ranks #723,709 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Tao vs tilo

Shared letters: ot. Private to "Tao": a. Private to "tilo": il.

"Tao" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "tilo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tiloitlo · tillo · tiol · tlio · ttilo

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Tao" and "tilo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Tao" is a noun and "tilo" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Tao" or "tilo"?
"Tao" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,319 in our German list, against #31,822 for "tilo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "Tao" and "tilo".

  • Full dictionary entry for "Tao" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tilo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #723,709 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Tao" and "tilo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tilo 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 #723,709 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