mackvsmazeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,979
“mack” frequency rank
#44,065
“maze” frequency rank
63044
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mack maze
Definition weites Kleidungsstück mit Ärmeln, das mindestens bis zu den Knien reicht und wasserdicht ist Irrgarten oder ein Gewirr wie ein Irrgarten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mack and maze apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mack
4 ch
maze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mack ([mæk]) and maze ([meɪz]) 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 63044, 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]. maze is at rank #44,065, tagged as anoun, pronounced [meɪz].

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 63044, this pair ranks #690,856 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mack vs maze

Shared letters: am. Private to "mack": ck. Private to "maze": ez.

"mack" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "maze" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mackamck · macck · mackk · makc · mcak · mmack
  • mazeamze · maez · mazze · mmaze · mzae

Frequency comparison

mack#18,979
maze#44,065

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mack" and "maze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mæk] versus [meɪz]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mack" or "maze"?
"mack" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,979 in our German list, against #44,065 for "maze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mack vs maze

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