Which to use
“machen” and “mailen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #104
- “machen” frequency rank
- #49,065
- “mailen” frequency rank
- 49169
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | machen | mailen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einen bestimmten Zustand versetzen | eine E-Mail versenden, schicken |
Where the eye mixes machen and mailen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. machen (CVCCVC) and mailen (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: machen vs mailen
A purely visual mix-up. machen ([ˈmaxn̩]) and mailen ([ˈmɛɪ̯lən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49169, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
machen is recorded at frequency rank #104, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmaxn̩]. mailen is at rank #49,065, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmɛɪ̯lən].
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 49169, this pair ranks #1,221,552 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of machen vs mailen
Shared letters: aemn. Private to "machen": ch. Private to "mailen": il.
"machen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "mailen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "machen" and "mailen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "machen" or "mailen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "machen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mailen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,221,552 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "machen" and "mailen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Madsen vs mailen". 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 #1,221,552 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.