tohvstruWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: toh is a verb, tru is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“toh” is a verb and “tru” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#47,966
“toh” frequency rank
#28,061
“tru” frequency rank
76027
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature toh tru
Definition To collapse (fail or break down internally); to fall asleep or collapse from exhaustion. Abbreviation of true.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set toh and tru apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
toh
3 ch
tru

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: toh is averb and truanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76027, 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˦˨]. tru is at rank #28,061, tagged as anadj.

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 76027, this pair ranks #31,280 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of toh vs tru

Shared letters: t. Private to "toh": ho. Private to "tru": ru.

"toh" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tru" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequency comparison

toh#47,966
tru#28,061

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "toh" and "tru" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "toh" is a verb and "tru" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "toh" or "tru"?
"tru" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,061 in our English list, against #47,966 for "toh". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering toh vs tru

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “toh”; for an adjective, it's “tru”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “toh” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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