Which to use
“Macke” and “Mähne” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,248
- “Macke” frequency rank
- #37,097
- “Mähne” frequency rank
- 71345
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Macke | Mähne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sonderbare Eigenart | Gesamtheit der langen Haare, die einigen Tieren, zum Beispiel Löwen oder Pferden, am Kopf wachsen |
Where the eye mixes Macke and Mähne
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Macke and Mähne follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between Macke and Mähne
A purely visual mix-up. Macke ([ˈmakə]) and Mähne ([ˈmɛːnə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71345, 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]. Mähne is at rank #37,097, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːnə].
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 71345, this pair ranks #419,545 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Macke vs Mähne
Shared letters: em. Private to "Macke": ack. Private to "Mähne": hnä.
"Macke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Mähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Macke ← amcke · maccke · macek · mackke · makce · mcake · mmacke
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Macke" and "Mähne" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Macke" or "Mähne"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Macke" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Mähne" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #419,545 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Macke" and "Mähne" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Mähne vs Möhre". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #419,545 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.