AffevsAmmeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Affe” and “Amme” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,017
“Affe” frequency rank
#41,639
“Amme” frequency rank
53656
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Affe Amme
Definition Säugetier aus der Unterordnung Anthropoidea in der Ordnung der Primaten eine ein fremdes Kind stillende und betreuende Frau

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Affe and Amme apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Affe
4 ch
Amme

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Affe ([ˈafə]) and Amme ([ˈamə]) 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 53656, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Affe is recorded at frequency rank #12,017, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈafə]. Amme is at rank #41,639, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈamə].

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 53656, this pair ranks #1,049,531 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Affe vs Amme

Shared letters: ae. Private to "Affe": f. Private to "Amme": m.

"Affe" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "Amme" · 4 letters · shape VCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Affeafe · afef · fafe
  • Ammeame · amem · mame

Frequency comparison

Affe#12,017
Amme#41,639

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Affe" and "Amme" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈafə] versus [ˈamə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Affe" or "Amme"?
"Affe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,017 in our German list, against #41,639 for "Amme". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Affe vs Amme

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Affe” 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