Which to use
“Macken” and “Mädchen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,672
- “Macken” frequency rank
- #534
- “Mädchen” frequency rank
- 32206
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Macken | Mädchen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Macke | weibliches Kind |
Where the eye mixes Macken and Mädchen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Macken vs Mädchen
A purely visual mix-up. Macken ([ˈmakn̩]) and Mädchen ([ˈmɛːtçən]) 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 32206, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Macken is recorded at frequency rank #31,672, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmakn̩]. Mädchen is at rank #534, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːtçən].
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 32206, this pair ranks #1,712,494 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Macken vs Mädchen
Shared letters: cemn. Private to "Macken": ak. Private to "Mädchen": dhä.
"Macken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Mädchen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Macken ← amcken · maccken · macekn · mackenn · mackken · mackne · makcen · mcaken
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Macken" for "Mädchen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Macken" vs "Mädchen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Macken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Mädchen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,712,494 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Macken" and "Mädchen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Macken vs mailen". 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 #1,712,494 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.