Which to use
“thin” is an adjective and “turn” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,623
- “thin” frequency rank
- #14,188
- “turn” frequency rank
- 59811
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | thin | turn |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von geringer Dicke | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs turnen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set thin and turn apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: thin is [ˈθɪn] while turn is [tʊʁn]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59811, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
thin is recorded at frequency rank #45,623, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈθɪn]. turn is at rank #14,188, tagged as averb, pronounced [tʊʁn].
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 59811, this pair ranks #810,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of thin vs turn
Shared letters: nt. Private to "thin": hi. Private to "turn": ru.
"thin" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "turn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "thin" and "turn" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "thin" or "turn"?
Remembering thin vs turn
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “thin”; for a verb, it's “turn”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “thin” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable