MackevsMacsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,248
“Macke” frequency rank
#41,330
“Macs” frequency rank
75578
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Macke Macs
Definition sonderbare Eigenart Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Mac

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Macke
4 ch
Macs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Macke ([ˈmakə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75578, 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]. 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 75578, this pair ranks #304,571 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Macke vs Macs

Shared letters: acm. Private to "Macke": ek. Private to "Macs": s.

"Macke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Macs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Mackeamcke · maccke · macek · mackke · makce · mcake · mmacke
  • Macsamcs · maccs · macss · masc · mcas · mmacs

Frequency comparison

Macke#34,248
Macs#41,330

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Macke" and "Macs" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmakə] versus [mɛks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Macke" or "Macs"?
"Macke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,248 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 Macke 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 “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