Which to use
“machte” and “machten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #780
- “machte” frequency rank
- #2,507
- “machten” frequency rank
- 3287
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | machte | machten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs machen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs machen |
Where the eye mixes machte and machten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. machte runs 6 letters (CVCCCV) against machten's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses machte with machten
A purely visual mix-up. machte ([ˈmaxtə]) and machten ([ˈmaxtn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “machte” sits inside “machten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3287, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
machte is recorded at frequency rank #780, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmaxtə]. machten is at rank #2,507, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmaxtn̩].
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 3287, this pair ranks #2,000,532 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of machte vs machten
Shared letters: acehmt. Private to "machte": -. Private to "machten": n.
"machte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "machten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "machte" and "machten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "machte" or "machten"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "machte" and "machten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "machte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "machten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,000,532 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "machte" and "machten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "machten vs marten". 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 #2,000,532 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.