Which to use
“trunk” and “tusk” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,074
- “trunk” frequency rank
- #29,824
- “tusk” frequency rank
- 68898
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | trunk | tusk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aufrechtstehender Teil eines Baums zwischen den Wurzeln und den Ästen | Stoßzahn; sehr langer und spitzer Zahn, der aus dem Maul des Tieres herausragt und meist paarweise vorkommt, aber auch einzeln (zum Beispiel beim Narwal) |
Letter map: trunk vs tusk
Shared letters muted; letters that set trunk and tusk apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.
Pair insight - trunk / tusk
trunk and tusk are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68898, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
trunk is recorded at frequency rank #39,074, classified as anoun, pronounced [tɹʌŋk]. tusk is at rank #29,824, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].
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 68898, this pair ranks #493,389 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of trunk vs tusk
Shared letters: ktu. Private to "trunk": nr. Private to "tusk": s.
"trunk" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "tusk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "trunk" for "tusk" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "trunk" or "tusk" show up more?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "trunk" and "tusk".
- Full dictionary entry for "trunk" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tusk" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #493,389 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "trunk" and "tusk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tränke vs trunk". 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 #493,389 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.