tötenvsToterWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: töten is a verb, Toter is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“töten” is a verb and “Toter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,083
“töten” frequency rank
#11,982
“Toter” frequency rank
15065
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature töten Toter
Definition einem Menschen oder einem Tier gewaltsam das Leben nehmen ein verstorbener Mann/Mensch

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set töten and Toter apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
töten
5 ch
Toter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: töten is [ˈtøːtn̩] while Toter is [ˈtoːtɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15065, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

töten is recorded at frequency rank #3,083, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtøːtn̩]. Toter is at rank #11,982, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtoːtɐ].

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 15065, this pair ranks #1,946,657 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of töten vs Toter

Shared letters: et. Private to "töten": . Private to "Toter": or.

"töten" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Toter" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Totertoetr · toterr · totter · ttoer · ttoter

Frequency comparison

töten#3,083
Toter#11,982

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "töten" and "Toter" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "töten" is a verb and "Toter" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "töten" or "Toter"?
"töten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,083 in our German list, against #11,982 for "Toter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering töten vs Toter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “töten”; for a noun, it's “Toter”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “töten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list