machevsMaikeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mache is a verb, Maike is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mache” is a verb and “Maike” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#934
“mache” frequency rank
#35,311
“Maike” frequency rank
36245
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mache Maike
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs machen weiblicher Vorname

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mache and Maike apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
mache
5 ch
Maike

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mache is [ˈmaxə] while Maike is [ˈmaɪ̯kə]. 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 (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mache is recorded at frequency rank #934, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmaxə]. Maike is at rank #35,311, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈmaɪ̯kə].

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 36245, this pair ranks #1,620,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mache vs Maike

Shared letters: aem. Private to "mache": ch. Private to "Maike": ik.

"mache" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Maike" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • macheamche · macche · maceh · machhe · mahce · mcahe · mmache
  • Maikeamike · maiek · maikke · makie · miake · mmaike

Frequency comparison

mache#934
Maike#35,311

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mache" and "Maike" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mache" is a verb and "Maike" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mache" or "Maike"?
"mache" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #934 in our German list, against #35,311 for "Maike". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mache vs Maike

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “mache”; for a name, it's “Maike”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mache” 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