Which to use
“tilo” is a num and “told” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,822
- “tilo” frequency rank
- #44,284
- “told” frequency rank
- 76106
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tilo | told |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kardinalzahl zwischen null und zwei; eins | Präteritum (simple past) des Verbs tell |
Where the eye mixes tilo and told
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between tilo and told
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tilo is [tìló] while told is [təʊld]. 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 (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76106, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tilo is recorded at frequency rank #31,822, classified as anum, pronounced [tìló]. told is at rank #44,284, tagged as averb, pronounced [təʊld].
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 76106, this pair ranks #291,633 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tilo vs told
Shared letters: lot. Private to "tilo": i. Private to "told": d.
"tilo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "told" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tilo" for "told" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tilo" vs "told" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tilo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "told" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #291,633 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tilo" and "told" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "told vs Tons". 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 #291,633 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.