TeesvsTunsTell them apart

Which to use

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

#39,662
“Tees” frequency rank
#44,983
“Tuns” frequency rank
84645
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tees Tuns
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Tee Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Tun

Where the eye mixes Tees and Tuns

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Tees (CVVC) and Tuns (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

4 ch
Tees
4 ch
Tuns

Why the eye confuses Tees with Tuns

A purely visual mix-up. Tees ([teːs]) and Tuns ([tuːns]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84645, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tees is recorded at frequency rank #39,662, classified as anoun, pronounced [teːs]. Tuns is at rank #44,983, tagged as anoun, pronounced [tuːns].

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 84645, this pair ranks #120,480 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Tees vs Tuns

Shared letters: st. Private to "Tees": e. Private to "Tuns": nu.

"Tees" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Tuns" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tees ← etes · teess · tese · ttees
  • Tuns ← tnus · ttuns · tunns · tunss · tusn · utns

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tees" and "Tuns" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([teːs] versus [tuːns]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Tees" vs "Tuns" - which ranks higher?
"Tees" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,662 in our German list, against #44,983 for "Tuns". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Tees" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Tuns" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #120,480 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Tees" and "Tuns" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tine vs Tuns". 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 #120,480 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list