Which to use
“Macke” and “Masse” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,248
- “Macke” frequency rank
- #1,815
- “Masse” frequency rank
- 36063
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Macke | Masse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sonderbare Eigenart | die Ursache, dass der Materie Trägheit und Schwere (Gravitation) eigen sind; nach der Relativitätstheorie mit Kraft (Energie) gleichwertig (äquivalent) |
Where the eye mixes Macke and Masse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Macke with Masse
A purely visual mix-up. Macke ([ˈmakə]) and Masse ([ˈmasə]) 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 36063, 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]. Masse is at rank #1,815, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmasə].
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 36063, this pair ranks #1,624,876 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Macke vs Masse
Shared letters: aem. Private to "Macke": ck. Private to "Masse": s.
"Macke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Masse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Macke" for "Masse" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Macke" vs "Masse" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "Masse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,624,876 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Macke" and "Masse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Macke vs Matze". 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 #1,624,876 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.