MadenvsModemTell them apart

Which to use

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

#31,673
“Maden” frequency rank
#25,677
“Modem” frequency rank
57350
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Maden Modem
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Made Apparat zum Übertragen (Senden und Empfangen) digitaler Daten durch analoge Signale (häufig über Telefonleitungen)

Where the eye mixes Maden and Modem

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Maden
5 ch
Modem

Why the eye confuses Maden with Modem

A purely visual mix-up. Maden ([ˈmaːdn̩]) and Modem ([ˈmoːdɛm]) 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 57350, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Maden is recorded at frequency rank #31,673, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaːdn̩]. Modem is at rank #25,677, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmoːdɛm].

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 57350, this pair ranks #904,703 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Maden vs Modem

Shared letters: dem. Private to "Maden": an. Private to "Modem": o.

"Maden" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Madenamden · madden · madenn · madne · maedn · mdaen · mmaden
  • Modemmdoem · mmodem · moddem · modemm · modme · moedm · omdem

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Maden" for "Modem" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmaːdn̩] versus [ˈmoːdɛm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Maden" vs "Modem" - which ranks higher?
"Modem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,677 in our German list, against #31,673 for "Maden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Maden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Modem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #904,703 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Maden" and "Modem" 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 #904,703 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