TopfvsToteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,366
“Topf” frequency rank
#2,691
“Tote” frequency rank
9057
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Topf Tote
Definition kleines Gefäß weibliche Person, die nicht mehr am Leben, sondern verstorben ist

Where the eye mixes Topf and Tote

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

4 ch
Topf
4 ch
Tote

Why the eye confuses Topf with Tote

A purely visual mix-up. Topf ([tɔp͡f]) and Tote ([ˈtoːtə]) 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 9057, 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]. Tote is at rank #2,691, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtoːtə].

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 9057, this pair ranks #1,981,631 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Topf vs Tote

Shared letters: ot. Private to "Topf": fp. Private to "Tote": e.

"Topf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Tote" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Topfotpf · tofp · topff · toppf · tpof · ttopf
  • Totetoet · totte · ttoe · ttote

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Topf" and "Tote" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([tɔp͡f] versus [ˈtoːtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Topf" or "Tote"?
"Tote" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,691 in our German list, against #6,366 for "Topf". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Topf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Tote" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,981,631 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Topf" and "Tote" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Tons vs Topf". 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 #1,981,631 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