Which to use
“Tee” is a noun and “three” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,924
- “Tee” frequency rank
- #14,431
- “three” frequency rank
- 17355
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Tee | three |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | koffeinhaltiges, aus mit heißem Wasser übergossenen Teeblättern gewonnenes Getränk | drei |
Where the eye mixes Tee and three
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Tee with three
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Tee is [teː] while three is [θɹiː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17355, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Tee is recorded at frequency rank #2,924, classified as anoun, pronounced [teː]. three is at rank #14,431, tagged as anum, pronounced [θɹiː].
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 17355, this pair ranks #1,928,109 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Tee vs three
Shared letters: et. Private to "Tee": -. Private to "three": hr.
"Tee" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "three" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- three ← htree · thhree · thre · thrree · trhee · tthree
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Tee" and "three" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Tee" vs "three" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Tee" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "three" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,928,109 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Tee" and "three" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "three vs trees". 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 #1,928,109 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.