MachsvsmakesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#24,036
“Machs” frequency rank
#38,890
“makes” frequency rank
62926
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Machs makes
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Mach Plural des Substantivs make

Where the eye mixes Machs and makes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Machs (CVCCC) and makes (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
Machs
5 ch
makes

Visual trap between Machs and makes

A purely visual mix-up. Machs ([maxs]) and makes ([meɪks]) 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 62926, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Machs is recorded at frequency rank #24,036, classified as anoun, pronounced [maxs]. makes is at rank #38,890, tagged as anoun, pronounced [meɪks].

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 62926, this pair ranks #695,121 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Machs vs makes

Shared letters: ams. Private to "Machs": ch. Private to "makes": ek.

"Machs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "makes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Machs ← amchs · macchs · machhs · machss · macsh · mahcs · mcahs · mmachs
  • makes ← amkes · maeks · makess · makkes · mkaes · mmakes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Machs" for "makes" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([maxs] versus [meɪks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Machs" vs "makes" - which ranks higher?
"Machs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,036 in our German list, against #38,890 for "makes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Machs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "makes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #695,121 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Machs" and "makes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "makes vs Mals". 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 #695,121 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