tun

[tuːn]

/[tuːn]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“tun” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #245 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#245
frequency rank, German
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine Handlung ausführen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tun vs TV
0% similar
tun vs Tz
0% similar
tun vs ty
33% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tun
PropertyValue
Headwordtun
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[tuːn]
Letters3
Frequency rank#245
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tun” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). tun lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for tun is 3 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [tuːn]. Corpus data places it at rank #245 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for tun, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TV", "Tz", "ty", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is tun, spelled T-U-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    eine Handlung ausführen
  2. 2
    eine Handlung ausführen
  3. 3
    eine Handlung ausführen
  4. 4
    eine Handlung ausführen
  5. 5
    etwas in eine bestimmte Position bringen
  6. 6
    mit Dativ: jemanden in einer [a] guten oder [b] schlechten Weise behandeln
  7. 7
    es tun
  8. 8
    für den vorgesehenen Zweck ausreichen
  9. 9
    seine Funktion erfüllen, vorschriftsmäßig arbeiten
  10. 10
    verhüllend: (den ersten) Geschlechtsverkehr haben
  11. 11
    eine Eigenschaft beziehungsweise einen Sachverhalt anders darstellen, als er wirklich ist
  12. 12
    seine Funktion erfüllen, vorschriftsmäßig arbeiten
  13. 13
    es tut sich etwas/einiges/nichts: es gehen entscheidende, erwartete Änderungen vor

Synonyms

machenbringenplatzierenantunausreichengenügenlangenfunktionierengehenmachenvortäuschenvortäuschenfunktionierengehenereignengeschehenpassierenvorgehen

Antonyms

lassensein lassenseinlassenunterlassenlassensein

This word in other languages

do(English)hacer(Español)faire(Français)fazer(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tun"?
"tun" is spelled T-U-N. The IPA pronunciation is [tuːn].
What does "tun" mean?
As a verb, "tun" means: eine Handlung ausführen
What words are commonly confused with "tun"?
"tun" is commonly confused with "TV", "Tz", "ty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tun"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tun" is [tuːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tun" come from?
"tun" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “tun”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is T-U-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [tuːn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “TV” - see the side-by-side comparison. tun vs TV
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list