Which to use
“toll” and “tom” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #785
- “toll” frequency rank
- #2,521
- “tom” frequency rank
- 3306
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | toll | tom |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einfältig bis verrückt | ohne Inhalt; leer |
Where the eye mixes toll and tom
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between toll and tom
A purely visual mix-up. toll ([tɔl]) and tom ([tum]) 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 3306, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
toll is recorded at frequency rank #785, classified as anadj, pronounced [tɔl]. tom is at rank #2,521, tagged as anadj, pronounced [tum].
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 3306, this pair ranks #2,000,497 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of toll vs tom
Shared letters: ot. Private to "toll": l. Private to "tom": m.
"toll" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "tom" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- toll ← otll · tlol · tol · ttoll
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "toll" for "tom" ever safe?
Which is more common, "toll" or "tom"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "toll" and "tom" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "toll" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tom" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,000,497 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "toll" and "tom" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tom 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 #2,000,497 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.