macvsmirConfusable pair

Quick tell: mac is a noun, mir is a pronoun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mac” is a noun and “mir” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,810
“mac” frequency rank
#62
“mir” frequency rank
4872
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mac mir
Definition weites Kleidungsstück mit Ärmeln, das mindestens bis zu den Knien reicht und wasserdicht ist Dativ der ersten Person Singular

Where the eye mixes mac and mir

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
mac
3 ch
mir

Why the eye confuses mac with mir

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mac is [mæk] while mir is [miːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mac is recorded at frequency rank #4,810, classified as anoun, pronounced [mæk]. mir is at rank #62, tagged as apron, pronounced [miːɐ̯].

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 4872, this pair ranks #1,996,424 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mac vs mir

Shared letters: m. Private to "mac": ac. Private to "mir": ir.

"mac" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "mir" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mac" and "mir" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mac" is a noun and "mir" a pronoun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "mac" vs "mir" - which ranks higher?
"mir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #62 in our German list, against #4,810 for "mac". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "mac" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,996,424 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mac" and "mir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mac vs Mals". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,996,424 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list