machtevsmahnteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#780
“machte” frequency rank
#33,177
“mahnte” frequency rank
33957
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature machte mahnte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs machen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs mahnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set machte and mahnte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
machte
6 ch
mahnte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. machte ([ˈmaxtə]) and mahnte ([ˈmaːntə]) 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 33957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

machte is recorded at frequency rank #780, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmaxtə]. mahnte is at rank #33,177, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmaːntə].

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 33957, this pair ranks #1,674,268 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of machte vs mahnte

Shared letters: aehmt. Private to "machte": c. Private to "mahnte": n.

"machte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "mahnte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • machteamchte · macchte · machet · machhte · machtte · macthe · mahcte · mcahte
  • mahnteamhnte · mahhnte · mahnet · mahnnte · mahntte · mahtne · manhte · mhante

Frequency comparison

machte#780
mahnte#33,177

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "machte" and "mahnte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmaxtə] versus [ˈmaːntə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "machte" or "mahnte"?
"machte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #780 in our German list, against #33,177 for "mahnte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering machte vs mahnte

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 “machte” 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