Which to use
“Tote” is a noun and “töten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,691
- “Tote” frequency rank
- #3,083
- “töten” frequency rank
- 5774
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Tote | töten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | weibliche Person, die nicht mehr am Leben, sondern verstorben ist | einem Menschen oder einem Tier gewaltsam das Leben nehmen |
Where the eye mixes Tote and töten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Tote runs 4 letters (CVCV) against töten's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Tote and töten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Tote is [ˈtoːtə] while töten is [ˈtøːtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5774, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Tote is recorded at frequency rank #2,691, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtoːtə]. töten is at rank #3,083, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtøːtn̩].
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 5774, this pair ranks #1,993,761 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Tote vs töten
Shared letters: et. Private to "Tote": o. Private to "töten": nö.
"Tote" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "töten" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Tote ← toet · totte · ttoe · ttote
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Tote" and "töten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Tote" vs "töten" - which ranks higher?
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 "Tote" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "töten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,993,761 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Tote" and "töten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tine vs Tote". 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 #1,993,761 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.