Which to use
“töten” and “tuen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,083
- “töten” frequency rank
- #32,318
- “tuen” frequency rank
- 35401
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | töten | tuen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einem Menschen oder einem Tier gewaltsam das Leben nehmen | 1. Person Plural Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tun |
Where the eye mixes töten and tuen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. töten runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against tuen's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: töten vs tuen
A purely visual mix-up. töten ([ˈtøːtn̩]) and tuen ([ˈtuːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35401, 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]. tuen is at rank #32,318, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtuːən].
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 35401, this pair ranks #1,640,900 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of töten vs tuen
Shared letters: ent. Private to "töten": ö. Private to "tuen": u.
"töten" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tuen" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tuen ← teun · ttuen · tuenn · tune · uten
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "töten" for "tuen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "töten" or "tuen" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "töten" and "tuen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "töten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tuen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,640,900 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "töten" and "tuen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "trügen vs tuen". 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 #1,640,900 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.