Which to use
“ange” and “axe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,513
- “ange” frequency rank
- #45,148
- “axe” frequency rank
- 73661
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ange | axe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Religion: (zumeist mit Flügeln gedachtes) überirdisches Wesen, das als Bote Gottes fungiert | die Axt, das Beil |
Where the eye mixes ange and axe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between ange and axe
A purely visual mix-up. ange ([ɑ̃ːʒ]) and axe ([æks]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73661, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ange is recorded at frequency rank #28,513, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɑ̃ːʒ]. axe is at rank #45,148, tagged as anoun, pronounced [æks].
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 73661, this pair ranks #354,284 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ange vs axe
Shared letters: ae. Private to "ange": gn. Private to "axe": x.
"ange" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "axe" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- ange ← agne · aneg · angge · annge · nage
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ange" and "axe" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ange" or "axe" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ange" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "axe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #354,284 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ange" and "axe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "AUD vs axe". 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 #354,284 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.