Which to use
“token” and “totem” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,832
- “token” frequency rank
- #23,713
- “totem” frequency rank
- 72545
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | token | totem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lexème ou lexie. | Aïeul animal ou végétal dans la cosmogonie totémique. |
Where the eye mixes token and totem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: token vs totem
A purely visual mix-up. token (\to.kɛn\) and totem (\tɔ.tɛm\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72545, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
token is recorded at frequency rank #48,832, classified as anoun, pronounced \to.kɛn\. totem is at rank #23,713, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tɔ.tɛm\.
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 72545, this pair ranks #43,647 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of token vs totem
Shared letters: eot. Private to "token": kn. Private to "totem": m.
"token" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "totem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "token" and "totem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "token" or "totem"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "token" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "totem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #43,647 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "token" and "totem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "toe vs token". 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 #43,647 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.