Which to use
“tot” is an adjective and “tut” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,525
- “tot” frequency rank
- #560
- “tut” frequency rank
- 2085
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tot | tut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht (mehr) lebend | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun |
Where the eye mixes tot and tut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tot vs tut
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tot is [toːt] while tut is [tuːt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - o in “tot” becomes u in “tut”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tot is recorded at frequency rank #1,525, classified as anadj, pronounced [toːt]. tut is at rank #560, tagged as averb, pronounced [tuːt].
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 2085, this pair ranks #2,003,142 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tot vs tut
Shared letters: t. Private to "tot": o. Private to "tut": u.
"tot" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tut" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tot" for "tut" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "tot" or "tut" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "tot" and "tut" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "tot" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,003,142 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tot" and "tut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "taut vs tot". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,003,142 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.