tapevstineWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tape is a verb, tine is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tape” is a verb and “tine” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,052
“tape” frequency rank
#49,303
“tine” frequency rank
68355
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tape tine
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tapen Feuer

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tape and tine apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
tape
4 ch
tine

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tape is averb and tineanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68355, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tape is recorded at frequency rank #19,052, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtɛɪ̯pə]. tine is at rank #49,303, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 68355, this pair ranks #510,388 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tape vs tine

Shared letters: et. Private to "tape": ap. Private to "tine": in.

"tape" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "tine" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tapeatpe · taep · tappe · tpae · ttape
  • tineitne · tien · tinne · tnie · ttine

Frequency comparison

tape#19,052
tine#49,303

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tape" and "tine" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tape" is a verb and "tine" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tape" or "tine"?
"tape" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,052 in our German list, against #49,303 for "tine". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tape vs tine

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tape”; for a noun, it's “tine”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tape” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list