machvsMatschWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mach is a verb, Matsch is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mach” is a verb and “Matsch” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#687
“mach” frequency rank
#27,843
“Matsch” frequency rank
28530
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mach Matsch
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ des Verbs machen nasse Erde; dickflüssiger, breiiger Schmutz

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mach and Matsch apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mach
6 ch
Matsch

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mach is [max] while Matsch is [mat͡ʃ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 28530, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mach is recorded at frequency rank #687, classified as averb, pronounced [max]. Matsch is at rank #27,843, tagged as anoun, pronounced [mat͡ʃ].

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 28530, this pair ranks #1,783,111 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mach vs Matsch

Shared letters: achm. Private to "mach": -. Private to "Matsch": st.

"mach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Matsch" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • machamch · macch · machh · mahc · mcah · mmach
  • Matschamtsch · mastch · matcsh · matscch · matschh · matshc · matssch · mattsch

Frequency comparison

mach#687
Matsch#27,843

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mach" and "Matsch" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mach" is a verb and "Matsch" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mach" or "Matsch"?
"mach" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #687 in our German list, against #27,843 for "Matsch". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mach vs Matsch

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “mach”; for a noun, it's “Matsch”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mach” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list