Which to use
“tes” and “til” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,969
- “tes” frequency rank
- #14,951
- “til” frequency rank
- 59920
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tes | til |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Plural des Substantivs te | überdeckender Flechtenbewuchs auf einem Stein oder Felsen |
Where the eye mixes tes and til
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tes with til
A purely visual mix-up. tes ([tɛs]) and til ([tiːl]) 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 59920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tes is recorded at frequency rank #44,969, classified as anoun, pronounced [tɛs]. til is at rank #14,951, tagged as anoun, pronounced [tiːl].
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 59920, this pair ranks #806,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tes vs til
Shared letters: t. Private to "tes": es. Private to "til": il.
"tes" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "til" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tes" for "til" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tes" vs "til" - 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 "tes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "til" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #806,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tes" and "til" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tes vs trees". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #806,398 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.