MadevsMädelsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,362
“Made” frequency rank
#3,910
“Mädels” frequency rank
11272
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Made Mädels
Definition Larve einer Fliege Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Mädel

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Made
6 ch
Mädels

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Made ([ˈmaːdə]) and Mädels ([ˈmɛːdl̩s]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11272, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Made is recorded at frequency rank #7,362, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaːdə]. Mädels is at rank #3,910, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːdl̩s].

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 11272, this pair ranks #1,970,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Made vs Mädels

Shared letters: dem. Private to "Made": a. Private to "Mädels": lsä.

"Made" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Mädels" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Madeamde · madde · maed · mdae · mmade

Frequency comparison

Made#7,362
Mädels#3,910

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Made" and "Mädels" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmaːdə] versus [ˈmɛːdl̩s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Made" or "Mädels"?
"Mädels" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,910 in our German list, against #7,362 for "Made". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Made vs Mädels

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 “Made” 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