tenvsTunsWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#6,729
“ten” frequency rank
#44,983
“Tuns” frequency rank
51712
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ten Tuns
Definition zehn Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Tun

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
ten
4 ch
Tuns

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ten is [tɛn] while Tuns is [tuːns]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51712, 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]. 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 51712, this pair ranks #1,124,986 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ten vs Tuns

Shared letters: nt. Private to "ten": e. Private to "Tuns": su.

"ten" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Tuns" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tunstnus · ttuns · tunns · tunss · tusn · utns

Frequency comparison

ten#6,729
Tuns#44,983

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ten" and "Tuns" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ten" is a num and "Tuns" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ten" or "Tuns"?
"ten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,729 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.

Remembering ten vs Tuns

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 “Tuns”.
  • 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