TillichvstödlichWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Tillich is a name, tödlich is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Tillich” is a name and “tödlich” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,182
“Tillich” frequency rank
#6,864
“tödlich” frequency rank
49046
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tillich tödlich
Definition deutscher Nachname, Familienname zum Tod führend; den Tod zur Folge habend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Tillich and tödlich apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Tillich
7 ch
tödlich

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Tillich is [ˈtɪlɪç] while tödlich is [ˈtøːtlɪç]. 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 (name vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49046, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tillich is recorded at frequency rank #42,182, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈtɪlɪç]. tödlich is at rank #6,864, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈtøːtlɪç].

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 49046, this pair ranks #1,226,083 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Tillich vs tödlich

Shared letters: chilt. Private to "Tillich": -. Private to "tödlich": .

"Tillich" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "tödlich" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tillichitllich · tilich · tililch · tillcih · tillicch · tillichh · tillihc · tlilich

Frequency comparison

Tillich#42,182
tödlich#6,864

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tillich" and "tödlich" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Tillich" is a name and "tödlich" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Tillich" or "tödlich"?
"tödlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,864 in our German list, against #42,182 for "Tillich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Tillich vs tödlich

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Tillich”; for an adjective, it's “tödlich”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Tillich” 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