Which to use
“Tod” is a noun and “tot” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #609
- “Tod” frequency rank
- #1,525
- “tot” frequency rank
- 2134
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Tod | tot |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Ende des Sterbevorgangs | nicht (mehr) lebend |
Same sound, different letters: Tod vs tot
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 2 letters.
Same sound, different spelling - Tod / tot
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: Tod and tot carry the same recorded pronunciation, [toːt]. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by a single letter - d in “Tod” becomes t in “tot”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2134, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Tod is recorded at frequency rank #609, classified as anoun, pronounced [toːt]. tot is at rank #1,525, tagged as anadj, pronounced [toːt].
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 2134, this pair ranks #2,003,025 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Tod vs tot
Shared letters: ot. Private to "Tod": d. Private to "tot": -.
"Tod" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tot" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Tod" and "tot" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Tod" or "tot"?
Useful next steps
You've separated the homophone pair "Tod" / "tot". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "Tod" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tot" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,003,025 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Tod" and "tot" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "taut vs tot". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,003,025 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.