tätevstobteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,434
“täte” frequency rank
#38,447
“tobte” frequency rank
55881
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature täte tobte
Definition 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs tun 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs toben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set täte and tobte apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
täte
5 ch
tobte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. täte ([ˈtɛːtə]) and tobte ([ˈtoːptə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55881, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

täte is recorded at frequency rank #17,434, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtɛːtə]. tobte is at rank #38,447, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtoːptə].

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 55881, this pair ranks #962,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of täte vs tobte

Shared letters: et. Private to "täte": ä. Private to "tobte": bo.

"täte" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "tobte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tobteotbte · tbote · tobbte · tobet · tobtte · totbe · ttobte

Frequency comparison

täte#17,434
tobte#38,447

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "täte" and "tobte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtɛːtə] versus [ˈtoːptə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "täte" or "tobte"?
"täte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,434 in our German list, against #38,447 for "tobte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering täte vs tobte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “täte” 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