Which to use
“Teer” is a noun and “then” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,240
- “Teer” frequency rank
- #17,149
- “then” frequency rank
- 54389
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Teer | then |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | braunschwarze, dicke, fette, klumpige, ölig-klebrige Flüssigkeit von scharfem Geruch, die durch trockenes Erhitzen organischer Stoffe (zum Beispiel Kohle) unter Luftabschluss entsteht | Bezug zu einem im Text vorher genannten Zeitpunkt |
Where the eye mixes Teer and then
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Teer (CVVC) and then (CCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Teer with then
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Teer is [teːɐ̯] while then is [ðɛn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Teer is recorded at frequency rank #37,240, classified as anoun, pronounced [teːɐ̯]. then is at rank #17,149, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ðɛn].
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 54389, this pair ranks #1,020,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Teer vs then
Shared letters: et. Private to "Teer": r. Private to "then": hn.
"Teer" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Teer" for "then" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Teer" or "then" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Teer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "then" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,020,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Teer" and "then" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Teer 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 #1,020,850 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.