TochtervsTöchternWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Tochter” and “Töchtern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#726
“Tochter” frequency rank
#17,161
“Töchtern” frequency rank
17887
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tochter Töchtern
Definition weiblicher, direkter Nachkomme, direkte Nachkommin Dativ Plural des Substantivs Tochter

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Tochter and Töchtern apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Tochter
8 ch
Töchtern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Tochter ([ˈtɔxtɐ]) and Töchtern ([ˈtœçtɐn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17887, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tochter is recorded at frequency rank #726, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɔxtɐ]. Töchtern is at rank #17,161, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtœçtɐn].

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 17887, this pair ranks #1,923,357 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Tochter vs Töchtern

Shared letters: cehrt. Private to "Tochter": o. Private to "Töchtern": .

"Tochter" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Töchtern" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tochterotchter · tcohter · tocchter · tochetr · tochhter · tochterr · tochtre · tochtter

Frequency comparison

Tochter#726
Töchtern#17,161

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tochter" and "Töchtern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtɔxtɐ] versus [ˈtœçtɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Tochter" or "Töchtern"?
"Tochter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #726 in our German list, against #17,161 for "Töchtern". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Tochter vs Töchtern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Tochter” 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