Which to use
“things” is a noun and “think” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,249
- “things” frequency rank
- #14,430
- “think” frequency rank
- 27679
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | things | think |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Plural des Substantivs thing | Verstandesarbeit leisten, denken |
Where the eye mixes things and think
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses things with think
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: things is [θɪŋz] while think is [θɪŋk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27679, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
things is recorded at frequency rank #13,249, classified as anoun, pronounced [θɪŋz]. think is at rank #14,430, tagged as averb, pronounced [θɪŋk].
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 27679, this pair ranks #1,797,735 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of things vs think
Shared letters: hint. Private to "things": gs. Private to "think": k.
"things" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC · "think" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "things" for "think" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "things" or "think" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "things" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "think" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,797,735 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "things" and "think" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "think vs tine". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,797,735 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.