Which to use
“tollem” is an adjective and “Totem” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,973
- “tollem” frequency rank
- #42,185
- “Totem” frequency rank
- 87158
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tollem | Totem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs toll | ein Lebewesen, eine Pflanze oder ein Tier, das als der Urahn, als der heilige Vorfahr angesehen wird (in animistischen Völkern) |
Where the eye mixes tollem and Totem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. tollem runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Totem's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between tollem and Totem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tollem is [ˈtɔləm] while Totem is [ˈtoːtɛm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87158, 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]. Totem is at rank #42,185, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtoːtɛm].
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 87158, this pair ranks #84,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tollem vs Totem
Shared letters: emot. Private to "tollem": l. Private to "Totem": -.
"tollem" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Totem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "tollem" and "Totem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "tollem" vs "Totem" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tollem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Totem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #84,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tollem" and "Totem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tobte vs Totem". 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 #84,028 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.