machevsmachstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#934
“mache” frequency rank
#1,455
“machst” frequency rank
2389
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mache machst
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs machen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs machen

Where the eye mixes mache and machst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
mache
6 ch
machst

Look-alike desk: mache vs machst

A purely visual mix-up. mache ([ˈmaxə]) and machst ([maxst]) 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 2389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mache is recorded at frequency rank #934, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmaxə]. machst is at rank #1,455, tagged as averb, pronounced [maxst].

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 2389, this pair ranks #2,002,465 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mache vs machst

Shared letters: achm. Private to "mache": e. Private to "machst": st.

"mache" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "machst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • macheamche · macche · maceh · machhe · mahce · mcahe · mmache
  • machstamchst · macchst · machhst · machsst · machstt · machts · macsht · mahcst

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "mache" for "machst" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmaxə] versus [maxst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "mache" vs "machst" - which ranks higher?
"mache" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #934 in our German list, against #1,455 for "machst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "mache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "machst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,002,465 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mache" and "machst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mache vs Matze". 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 #2,002,465 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