tollvstollemWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#785
“toll” frequency rank
#44,973
“tollem” frequency rank
45758
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature toll tollem
Definition einfältig bis verrückt Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs toll

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set toll and tollem apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
toll
6 ch
tollem

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. toll ([tɔl]) and tollem ([ˈtɔləm]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “toll” sits inside “tollem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

toll is recorded at frequency rank #785, classified as anadj, pronounced [tɔl]. tollem is at rank #44,973, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈtɔləm].

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 45758, this pair ranks #1,342,208 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of toll vs tollem

Shared letters: lot. Private to "toll": -. Private to "tollem": em.

"toll" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "tollem" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tollotll · tlol · tol · ttoll
  • tollemotllem · tlolem · tolelm · tolem · tollemm · tollme · ttollem

Frequency comparison

toll#785
tollem#44,973

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "toll" and "tollem" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([tɔl] versus [ˈtɔləm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "toll" or "tollem"?
"toll" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #785 in our German list, against #44,973 for "tollem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering toll vs tollem

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 “toll” 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