MackevsMackenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,248
“Macke” frequency rank
#31,672
“Macken” frequency rank
65920
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Macke Macken
Definition sonderbare Eigenart Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Macke

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Macke
6 ch
Macken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Macke ([ˈmakə]) and Macken ([ˈmakn̩]) 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) - “Macke” sits inside “Macken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Macke is recorded at frequency rank #34,248, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmakə]. Macken is at rank #31,672, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmakn̩].

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 65920, this pair ranks #590,526 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Macke vs Macken

Shared letters: acekm. Private to "Macke": -. Private to "Macken": n.

"Macke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Macken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Mackeamcke · maccke · macek · mackke · makce · mcake · mmacke
  • Mackenamcken · maccken · macekn · mackenn · mackken · mackne · makcen · mcaken

Frequency comparison

Macke#34,248
Macken#31,672

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Macke" and "Macken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmakə] versus [ˈmakn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Macke" or "Macken"?
"Macken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,672 in our German list, against #34,248 for "Macke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Macke vs Macken

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 “Macke” 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