Which to use
“mähen” is a verb and “Mahl” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,426
- “mähen” frequency rank
- #24,039
- “Mahl” frequency rank
- 51465
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mähen | Mahl |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit der Sense, Sichel, mit einer Mähmaschine Pflanzen bis zum Ansatz dicht über dem Erdboden wegschneiden | Vorgang, bei dem Essen zu sich genommen wird, gespeist wird |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mähen and Mahl apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mähen is [ˈmɛːən] while Mahl is [maːl]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51465, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mähen is recorded at frequency rank #27,426, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmɛːən]. Mahl is at rank #24,039, tagged as anoun, pronounced [maːl].
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 51465, this pair ranks #1,134,521 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mähen vs Mahl
Shared letters: hm. Private to "mähen": enä. Private to "Mahl": al.
"mähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Mahl" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Mahl ← amhl · mahhl · mahll · malh · mhal · mmahl
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mähen" and "Mahl" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mähen" or "Mahl"?
Remembering mähen vs Mahl
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “mähen”; for a noun, it's “Mahl”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mähen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable