tenvstineWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ten is a num, tine is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ten” is a num and “tine” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,729
“ten” frequency rank
#49,303
“tine” frequency rank
56032
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ten tine
Definition zehn Feuer

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ten and tine apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
ten
4 ch
tine

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ten is anum and tineanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56032, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ten is recorded at frequency rank #6,729, classified as anum, pronounced [tɛn]. tine is at rank #49,303, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 56032, this pair ranks #956,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ten vs tine

Shared letters: ent. Private to "ten": -. Private to "tine": i.

"ten" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tine" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tineitne · tien · tinne · tnie · ttine

Frequency comparison

ten#6,729
tine#49,303

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ten" and "tine" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ten" is a num and "tine" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ten" or "tine"?
"ten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,729 in our German list, against #49,303 for "tine". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ten vs tine

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “ten”; for a noun, it's “tine”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ten” 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