tesvsTomsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“tes” and “Toms” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#44,969
“tes” frequency rank
#41,507
“Toms” frequency rank
86476
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tes Toms
Definition Plural des Substantivs te Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Tom

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
tes
4 ch
Toms

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tes ([tɛs]) and Toms ([tɔms]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86476, 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]. Toms is at rank #41,507, tagged as anoun, pronounced [tɔms].

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 86476, this pair ranks #93,247 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tes vs Toms

Shared letters: st. Private to "tes": e. Private to "Toms": mo.

"tes" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Toms" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tomsotms · tmos · tomms · tomss · tosm · ttoms

Frequency comparison

tes#44,969
Toms#41,507

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tes" and "Toms" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([tɛs] versus [tɔms]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tes" or "Toms"?
"Toms" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,507 in our German list, against #44,969 for "tes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tes vs Toms

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tes” 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