Which to use
“Mädchen” and “Maschen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #534
- “Mädchen” frequency rank
- #23,614
- “Maschen” frequency rank
- 24148
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Mädchen | Maschen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | weibliches Kind | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Masche |
Where the eye mixes Mädchen and Maschen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Mädchen and Maschen
A purely visual mix-up. Mädchen ([ˈmɛːtçən]) and Maschen ([ˈmaʃn̩]) 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 24148, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Mädchen is recorded at frequency rank #534, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːtçən]. Maschen is at rank #23,614, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaʃn̩].
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 24148, this pair ranks #1,851,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Mädchen vs Maschen
Shared letters: cehmn. Private to "Mädchen": dä. Private to "Maschen": as.
"Mädchen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "Maschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Maschen ← amschen · macshen · mascchen · mascehn · maschenn · maschhen · maschne · mashcen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Mädchen" and "Maschen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Mädchen" vs "Maschen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Mädchen" and "Maschen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Mädchen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Maschen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,851,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Mädchen" and "Maschen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Märsche vs Maschen". 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 #1,851,717 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.