mackvsMacsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,979
“mack” frequency rank
#41,330
“Macs” frequency rank
60309
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mack Macs
Definition weites Kleidungsstück mit Ärmeln, das mindestens bis zu den Knien reicht und wasserdicht ist Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Mac

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
mack
4 ch
Macs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mack ([mæk]) and Macs ([mɛks]) 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 a single letter - k in “mack” becomes s in “Macs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60309, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mack is recorded at frequency rank #18,979, classified as anoun, pronounced [mæk]. Macs is at rank #41,330, tagged as anoun, pronounced [mɛks].

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 60309, this pair ranks #791,808 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mack vs Macs

Shared letters: acm. Private to "mack": k. Private to "Macs": s.

"mack" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Macs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mackamck · macck · mackk · makc · mcak · mmack
  • Macsamcs · maccs · macss · masc · mcas · mmacs

Frequency comparison

mack#18,979
Macs#41,330

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mack" and "Macs" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mæk] versus [mɛks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mack" or "Macs"?
"mack" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,979 in our German list, against #41,330 for "Macs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mack vs Macs

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 “mack” 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