täte vs tut, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#17,434
“täte” frequency rank: #560
“tut” frequency rank: 17994
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	täte	tut
Definition	1. Person Singular Konjunktiv Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs tun	3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch

täte

3 ch

tut

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. täte ([ˈtɛːtə]) and tut ([tuːt]) 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 17994, 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]. tut is at rank #560, tagged as averb, pronounced [tuːt].

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 17994, this pair ranks #1,922,384 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of täte vs tut

Shared letters: t. Private to "täte": eä. Private to "tut": u.

"täte" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "tut" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

täte#17,434

tut#560

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "täte" and "tut" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈtɛːtə] versus [tuːt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "täte" or "tut"?

"tut" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #560 in our German list, against #17,434 for "täte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering täte vs tut

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