TomsvsTopfTell them apart

Which to use

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

#41,507
“Toms” frequency rank
#6,366
“Topf” frequency rank
47873
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Toms Topf
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Tom kleines Gefäß

Where the eye mixes Toms and Topf

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Toms
4 ch
Topf

Why the eye confuses Toms with Topf

A purely visual mix-up. Toms ([tɔms]) and Topf ([tɔp͡f]) 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 47873, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Toms is recorded at frequency rank #41,507, classified as anoun, pronounced [tɔms]. Topf is at rank #6,366, tagged as anoun, pronounced [tɔp͡f].

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 47873, this pair ranks #1,268,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Toms vs Topf

Shared letters: ot. Private to "Toms": ms. Private to "Topf": fp.

"Toms" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Topf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Tomsotms · tmos · tomms · tomss · tosm · ttoms
  • Topfotpf · tofp · topff · toppf · tpof · ttopf

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Toms" for "Topf" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([tɔms] versus [tɔp͡f]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Toms" or "Topf"?
"Topf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,366 in our German list, against #41,507 for "Toms". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Toms" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Topf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,268,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Toms" and "Topf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Toms 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 #1,268,942 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