Which to use
“tan” is a symbol and “tos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,493
- “tan” frequency rank
- #48,234
- “tos” frequency rank
- 64727
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tan | tos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tangente. | Élève de première année à l’École polytechnique. |
Letter map: tan vs tos
Shared letters muted; letters that set tan and tos apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Grammar separator: tan vs tos
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tan is asymbol and tosanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64727, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tan is recorded at frequency rank #16,493, classified as asymbol. tos is at rank #48,234, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tos\.
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 64727, this pair ranks #75,643 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tan vs tos
Shared letters: t. Private to "tan": an. Private to "tos": os.
"tan" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tos" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tan" and "tos" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "tan" vs "tos" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "tan" and "tos".
- Full dictionary entry for "tan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,643 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tan" and "tos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tif vs tos". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #75,643 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.