TopfvsTourWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#6,366
“Topf” frequency rank
#1,574
“Tour” frequency rank
7940
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Topf Tour
Definition kleines Gefäß Reise, Weg oder Bewegung mit in der Regel identischem Ausgangs- und Zielort

Where the eye mixes Topf and Tour

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

4 ch
Topf
4 ch
Tour

Why the eye confuses Topf with Tour

A purely visual mix-up. Topf ([tɔp͡f]) and Tour ([tuːɐ̯]) 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 7940, 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]. Tour is at rank #1,574, tagged as anoun, pronounced [tuːɐ̯].

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 7940, this pair ranks #1,986,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Topf vs Tour

Shared letters: ot. Private to "Topf": fp. Private to "Tour": ru.

"Topf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Tour" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Topfotpf · tofp · topff · toppf · tpof · ttopf
  • Tourotur · toru · tourr · ttour · tuor

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Topf" and "Tour" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([tɔp͡f] versus [tuːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Topf" vs "Tour" - which ranks higher?
"Tour" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,574 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.

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 "Topf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Tour" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,986,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Topf" and "Tour" 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 #1,986,252 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