Which to use
“ten” is a num and “tut” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,729
- “ten” frequency rank
- #560
- “tut” frequency rank
- 7289
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ten | tut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zehn | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun |
Where the eye mixes ten and tut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ten with tut
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ten is [tɛn] while tut is [tuːt]. 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 (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7289, 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]. tut is at rank #560, tagged as averb, pronounced [tuːt].
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 7289, this pair ranks #1,988,714 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ten vs tut
Shared letters: t. Private to "ten": en. Private to "tut": u.
"ten" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tut" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ten" and "tut" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ten" vs "tut" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "ten" and "tut" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,714 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ten" and "tut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ten vs tine". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,988,714 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.