Which to use
“Tat” is a noun and “tu” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #943
- “Tat” frequency rank
- #2,620
- “tu” frequency rank
- 3563
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Tat | tu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einmalige Handlung, die etwas Gutes oder Böses bewirkt | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun |
Where the eye mixes Tat and tu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Tat vs tu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Tat is [taːt] while tu is [tuː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Tat is recorded at frequency rank #943, classified as anoun, pronounced [taːt]. tu is at rank #2,620, tagged as averb, pronounced [tuː].
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 3563, this pair ranks #1,999,920 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Tat vs tu
Shared letters: t. Private to "Tat": a. Private to "tu": u.
"Tat" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tu" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Tat" for "tu" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Tat" or "tu" show up more?
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 "Tat" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,999,920 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Tat" and "tu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "taut vs tu". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,999,920 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.