TellernvsTollenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,271
“Tellern” frequency rank
#2,926
“Tollen” frequency rank
47197
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tellern Tollen
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Teller Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Tolle

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Tellern and Tollen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Tellern
6 ch
Tollen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Tellern ([ˈtɛlɐn]) and Tollen ([ˈtɔlən]) 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 47197, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tellern is recorded at frequency rank #44,271, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɛlɐn]. Tollen is at rank #2,926, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɔlən].

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 47197, this pair ranks #1,292,877 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Tellern vs Tollen

Shared letters: elnt. Private to "Tellern": r. Private to "Tollen": o.

"Tellern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Tollen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tellernetllern · telelrn · telern · tellenr · tellernn · tellerrn · tellren · tlelern
  • Tollenotllen · tlolen · toleln · tolen · tollenn · tollne · ttollen

Frequency comparison

Tellern#44,271
Tollen#2,926

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tellern" and "Tollen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtɛlɐn] versus [ˈtɔlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Tellern" or "Tollen"?
"Tollen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,926 in our German list, against #44,271 for "Tellern". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Tellern vs Tollen

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 “Tellern” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list