Which to use
“toh” and “tow” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,966
- “toh” frequency rank
- #10,950
- “tow” frequency rank
- 58916
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | toh | tow |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To collapse (fail or break down internally); to fall asleep or collapse from exhaustion. | To pull something behind one, such as by using a line, chain, or tongue. |
Where the eye mixes toh and tow
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. toh ([t˭o˦˨]) and tow (/təʊ/) 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 a single letter - h in “toh” becomes w in “tow”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58916, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
toh is recorded at frequency rank #47,966, classified as averb, pronounced [t˭o˦˨]. tow is at rank #10,950, tagged as averb, pronounced /təʊ/.
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 58916, this pair ranks #109,451 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of toh vs tow
Shared letters: ot. Private to "toh": h. Private to "tow": w.
"toh" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tow" · 3 letters · shape CVC