Which to use
“ter” is a verb and “ty” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,183
- “ter” frequency rank
- #30,332
- “ty” frequency rank
- 42515
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ter | ty |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | haben, besitzen | Dativ Singular des Personalpronomens ti „du“ |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ter and ty apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
ter and ty form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42515, 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)]. ty is at rank #30,332, tagged as apron, pronounced [ty].
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 42515, this pair ranks #1,446,919 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ter" and "ty" be used interchangeably?
Remembering ter vs ty
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ter”; for a pronoun, it's “ty”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ter” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable