Which to use
“them” is a verb and “tim” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,418
- “them” frequency rank
- #5,406
- “tim” frequency rank
- 24824
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | them | tim |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dire. | Mèche. |
Where the eye mixes them and tim
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: them vs tim
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: them is \θem\ while tim is \tim˦\. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24824, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
them is recorded at frequency rank #19,418, classified as averb, pronounced \θem\. tim is at rank #5,406, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tim˦\.
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 24824, this pair ranks #344,396 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of them vs tim
Shared letters: mt. Private to "them": eh. Private to "tim": i.
"them" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "tim" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- them ← htem · tehm · themm · thhem · thme · tthem
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "them" and "tim" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "them" or "tim"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "them" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tim" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #344,396 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "them" and "tim" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "them vs thug". 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 #344,396 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.