mähenvsmahntWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,426
“mähen” frequency rank
#21,687
“mahnt” frequency rank
49113
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mähen mahnt
Definition mit der Sense, Sichel, mit einer Mähmaschine Pflanzen bis zum Ansatz dicht über dem Erdboden wegschneiden 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs mahnen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
mähen
5 ch
mahnt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mähen ([ˈmɛːən]) and mahnt ([maːnt]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49113, 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]. mahnt is at rank #21,687, tagged as averb, pronounced [maːnt].

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 49113, this pair ranks #1,223,644 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mähen vs mahnt

Shared letters: hmn. Private to "mähen": . Private to "mahnt": at.

"mähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mahnt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mahntamhnt · mahhnt · mahnnt · mahntt · mahtn · manht · mhant · mmahnt

Frequency comparison

mähen#27,426
mahnt#21,687

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mähen" and "mahnt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmɛːən] versus [maːnt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mähen" or "mahnt"?
"mahnt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,687 in our German list, against #27,426 for "mähen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mähen vs mahnt

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 “mähen” 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