Which to use
“toe” and “totem” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,424
- “toe” frequency rank
- #25,952
- “totem” frequency rank
- 32376
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | toe | totem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Each of the five digits on the end of the human foot. | Any natural object or living creature that serves as an emblem of a tribe, clan or family; the representation of such an object or creature. |
Where the eye mixes toe and totem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: toe vs totem
A purely visual mix-up. toe (/təʊ/) and totem (/ˈtoʊtəm/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32376, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
toe is recorded at frequency rank #6,424, classified as anoun, pronounced /təʊ/. totem is at rank #25,952, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtoʊtəm/.
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 32376, this pair ranks #338,298 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of toe vs totem
Shared letters: eot. Private to "toe": -. Private to "totem": m.
"toe" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "totem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- totem ← ottem · toetm · totemm · totme · tottem · ttoem · ttotem
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "toe" and "totem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "toe" or "totem" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "toe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "totem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #338,298 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "toe" and "totem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "totem vs Toth". 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 #338,298 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.