TodevstoolWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,282
“Tode” frequency rank
#10,189
“tool” frequency rank
13471
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tode tool
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Tod Werkzeug

Where the eye mixes Tode and tool

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Tode (CVCV) and tool (CVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

4 ch
Tode
4 ch
tool

Visual trap between Tode and tool

A purely visual mix-up. Tode ([ˈtoːdə]) and tool ([tuːl]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13471, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tode is recorded at frequency rank #3,282, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtoːdə]. tool is at rank #10,189, tagged as anoun, pronounced [tuːl].

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 13471, this pair ranks #1,957,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Tode vs tool

Shared letters: ot. Private to "Tode": de. Private to "tool": l.

"Tode" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "tool" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tode ← otde · tdoe · todde · toed · ttode
  • tool ← otol · tolo · tooll · ttool

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Tode" and "tool" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtoːdə] versus [tuːl]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Tode" vs "tool" - which ranks higher?
"Tode" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,282 in our German list, against #10,189 for "tool". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Tode" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tool" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,957,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Tode" and "tool" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Tons vs tool". 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 #1,957,773 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list