Which to use
“ti” is a pronoun and “tom” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,603
- “ti” frequency rank
- #2,521
- “tom” frequency rank
- 15124
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ti | tom |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | du | ohne Inhalt; leer |
Where the eye mixes ti and tom
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ti with tom
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ti is [ˈti] while tom is [tum]. 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 (pronoun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15124, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ti is recorded at frequency rank #12,603, classified as apron, pronounced [ˈti]. tom is at rank #2,521, tagged as anadj, pronounced [tum].
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 15124, this pair ranks #1,946,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ti vs tom
Shared letters: t. Private to "ti": i. Private to "tom": mo.
"ti" · 2 letters · shape CV · "tom" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ti" and "tom" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ti" vs "tom" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ti" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tom" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,946,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ti" and "tom" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ti vs tine". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,946,209 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.