TopfvstopicWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,366
“Topf” frequency rank
#26,648
“topic” frequency rank
33014
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Topf topic
Definition kleines Gefäß Gegenstand, Thema

Where the eye mixes Topf and topic

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Topf
5 ch
topic

Visual trap between Topf and topic

A purely visual mix-up. Topf ([tɔp͡f]) and topic ([ˈtɒpɪk]) 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 33014, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Topf is recorded at frequency rank #6,366, classified as anoun, pronounced [tɔp͡f]. topic is at rank #26,648, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɒpɪk].

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 33014, this pair ranks #1,695,144 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Topf vs topic

Shared letters: opt. Private to "Topf": f. Private to "topic": ci.

"Topf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "topic" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Topfotpf · tofp · topff · toppf · tpof · ttopf
  • topicotpic · toipc · topci · topicc · toppic · tpoic · ttopic

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Topf" and "topic" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([tɔp͡f] versus [ˈtɒpɪk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Topf" or "topic"?
"Topf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,366 in our German list, against #26,648 for "topic". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Topf" and "topic" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Topf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "topic" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,695,144 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Topf" and "topic" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tipico vs topic". 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 #1,695,144 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