tollemvsTollenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tollem is a adjective, Tollen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tollem” is an adjective and “Tollen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#44,973
“tollem” frequency rank
#2,926
“Tollen” frequency rank
47899
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tollem Tollen
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs toll Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Tolle

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tollem and Tollen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tollem
6 ch
Tollen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tollem is [ˈtɔləm] while Tollen is [ˈtɔlən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - m in “tollem” becomes n in “Tollen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47899, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tollem is recorded at frequency rank #44,973, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈtɔləm]. Tollen is at rank #2,926, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɔlən].

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 47899, this pair ranks #1,267,982 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tollem vs Tollen

Shared letters: elot. Private to "tollem": m. Private to "Tollen": n.

"tollem" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Tollen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tollemotllem · tlolem · tolelm · tolem · tollemm · tollme · ttollem
  • Tollenotllen · tlolen · toleln · tolen · tollenn · tollne · ttollen

Frequency comparison

tollem#44,973
Tollen#2,926

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tollem" and "Tollen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tollem" is an adjective and "Tollen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tollem" or "Tollen"?
"Tollen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,926 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 tollem vs Tollen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “tollem”; for a noun, it's “Tollen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tollem” 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