Which to use
“Mädel” and “Maden” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,596
- “Mädel” frequency rank
- #31,673
- “Maden” frequency rank
- 41269
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Mädel | Maden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mädchen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Made |
Where the eye mixes Mädel and Maden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Mädel and Maden follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Mädel vs Maden
A purely visual mix-up. Mädel ([ˈmɛːdl̩]) and Maden ([ˈmaːdn̩]) 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 41269, 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]. Maden is at rank #31,673, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaːdn̩].
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 41269, this pair ranks #1,484,436 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Mädel vs Maden
Shared letters: dem. Private to "Mädel": lä. Private to "Maden": an.
"Mädel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Maden" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Maden ← amden · madden · madenn · madne · maedn · mdaen · mmaden
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Mädel" for "Maden" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Mädel" or "Maden"?
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 "Mädel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Maden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,484,436 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Mädel" and "Maden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Maden vs maroden". 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 #1,484,436 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.