Which to use
“ter” and “tut” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,183
- “ter” frequency rank
- #560
- “tut” frequency rank
- 12743
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ter | tut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | haben, besitzen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun |
Where the eye mixes ter and tut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ter with tut
A purely visual mix-up. ter ([ˈte(ʁ)]) and tut ([tuːt]) 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 12743, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ter is recorded at frequency rank #12,183, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈte(ʁ)]. 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 12743, this pair ranks #1,962,319 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ter vs tut
Shared letters: t. Private to "ter": er. Private to "tut": u.
"ter" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tut" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ter" and "tut" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ter" vs "tut" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ter" 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 #1,962,319 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ter" and "tut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ter vs terme". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,962,319 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.