Which to use
“teen” is a noun and “teilen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,141
- “teen” frequency rank
- #1,023
- “teilen” frequency rank
- 9164
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | teen | teilen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zeh (ein Endabschnitt der Gliedmaßen der vierfüßigen Wirbeltiere, bei Primaten insbesondere Menschen nur der der hinteren Gliedmaßen) | ein Ganzes in Bestandteile zerlegen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set teen and teilen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: teen is [ten] while teilen is [ˈtaɪ̯lən]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9164, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
teen is recorded at frequency rank #8,141, classified as anoun, pronounced [ten]. teilen is at rank #1,023, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtaɪ̯lən].
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 9164, this pair ranks #1,981,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of teen vs teilen
Shared letters: ent. Private to "teen": -. Private to "teilen": il.
"teen" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "teilen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "teen" and "teilen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "teen" or "teilen"?
Remembering teen vs teilen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “teen”; for a verb, it's “teilen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “teen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable