MachovsMakroWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,822
“Macho” frequency rank
#30,188
“Makro” frequency rank
55010
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Macho Makro
Definition abwertend: ein sich übertrieben männlich gebender Mann eine fest vorgegebene Folge von Befehlen, Aktionen oder Tastaturcodes in den Bereichen Anwendungsprogramme, Programmierung und PC-Spiele (länger auch Makrobefehl)

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Macho
5 ch
Makro

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Macho ([ˈmat͡ʃo]) and Makro ([ˈmaːkʁo]) 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 55010, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Macho is recorded at frequency rank #24,822, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat͡ʃo]. Makro is at rank #30,188, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaːkʁo].

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 55010, this pair ranks #996,243 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Macho vs Makro

Shared letters: amo. Private to "Macho": ch. Private to "Makro": kr.

"Macho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Makro" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Machoamcho · maccho · machho · macoh · mahco · mcaho · mmacho
  • Makroamkro · makkro · makor · makrro · mkaro · mmakro

Frequency comparison

Macho#24,822
Makro#30,188

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Macho" and "Makro" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmat͡ʃo] versus [ˈmaːkʁo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Macho" or "Makro"?
"Macho" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,822 in our German list, against #30,188 for "Makro". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Macho vs Makro

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Macho” 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