mähenvsMaschenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mähen is a verb, Maschen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mähen” is a verb and “Maschen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,426
“mähen” frequency rank
#23,614
“Maschen” frequency rank
51040
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mähen Maschen
Definition mit der Sense, Sichel, mit einer Mähmaschine Pflanzen bis zum Ansatz dicht über dem Erdboden wegschneiden Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Masche

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mähen and Maschen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
mähen
7 ch
Maschen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mähen is [ˈmɛːən] while Maschen is [ˈmaʃn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 51040, 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]. Maschen is at rank #23,614, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaʃn̩].

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 51040, this pair ranks #1,150,794 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mähen vs Maschen

Shared letters: ehmn. Private to "mähen": ä. Private to "Maschen": acs.

"mähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Maschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Maschenamschen · macshen · mascchen · mascehn · maschenn · maschhen · maschne · mashcen

Frequency comparison

mähen#27,426
Maschen#23,614

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mähen" and "Maschen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mähen" is a verb and "Maschen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mähen" or "Maschen"?
"Maschen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,614 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 Maschen

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 “Maschen”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list