Which to use
“totem” is a noun and “totes” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,952
- “totem” frequency rank
- #31,383
- “totes” frequency rank
- 57335
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | totem | totes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Totally. |
Letter map: totem vs totes
Shared letters muted; letters that set totem and totes apart highlighted. Shared run: 4. totem and totes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Grammar separator: totem vs totes
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: totem is anoun and totesanadverb. On the page they differ by a single letter - m in “totem” becomes s in “totes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
totem is recorded at frequency rank #25,952, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈtoʊtəm/. totes is at rank #31,383, tagged as anadv.
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 57335, this pair ranks #120,034 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of totem vs totes
Shared letters: eot. Private to "totem": m. Private to "totes": s.
"totem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "totes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "totem" for "totes" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "totem" or "totes" show up more?
Useful next steps
You've compared "totem" and "totes". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "totem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "totes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #120,034 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "totem" and "totes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "totes 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 #120,034 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.