totvstoutWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tot is a adjective, tout is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tot” is an adjective and “tout” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,183
“tot” frequency rank
#47,459
“tout” frequency rank
89642
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tot tout
Definition Muerto. Todo

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tot and tout apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
tot
4 ch
tout

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tot is [toːt] while tout is /ˈtutː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 89642, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tot is recorded at frequency rank #42,183, classified as anadj, pronounced [toːt]. tout is at rank #47,459, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈtutː/.

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 89642, this pair ranks #2,991 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tot vs tout

Shared letters: ot. Private to "tot": -. Private to "tout": u.

"tot" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tout" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • toutotut · totu · toutt · ttout · tuot

Frequency comparison

tot#42,183
tout#47,459

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tot" and "tout" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tot" is an adjective and "tout" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tot" or "tout"?
"tot" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #42,183 in our Spanish list, against #47,459 for "tout". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tot vs tout

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “tot”; for an adverb, it's “tout”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tot” 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