MädelvsMädelsConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#9,596
“Mädel” frequency rank
#3,910
“Mädels” frequency rank
13506
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Mädel Mädels
Definition Mädchen Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Mädel

Where the eye mixes Mädel and Mädels

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Mädel runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against Mädels's 6 (CVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Mädel
6 ch
Mädels

Look-alike desk: Mädel vs Mädels

A purely visual mix-up. Mädel ([ˈmɛːdl̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “Mädel” sits inside “Mädels”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13506, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Mädel is recorded at frequency rank #9,596, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːdl̩]. 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 13506, this pair ranks #1,957,542 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Mädel vs Mädels

Shared letters: delmä. Private to "Mädel": -. Private to "Mädels": s.

"Mädel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Mädels" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Mädel" and "Mädels" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmɛːdl̩] versus [ˈmɛːdl̩s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Mädel" vs "Mädels" - which ranks higher?
"Mädels" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,910 in our German list, against #9,596 for "Mädel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Mädel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Mädels" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,957,542 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Mädel" and "Mädels" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Mädel vs Memel". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,957,542 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list