mähenvsmögenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,426
“mähen” frequency rank
#1,705
“mögen” frequency rank
29131
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mähen mögen
Definition mit der Sense, Sichel, mit einer Mähmaschine Pflanzen bis zum Ansatz dicht über dem Erdboden wegschneiden etwas mag sein: etwas ist möglicherweise (vielleicht) oder vermutlich der Fall

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
mähen
5 ch
mögen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mähen ([ˈmɛːən]) and mögen ([ˈmøːɡn̩]) 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 29131, 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]. mögen is at rank #1,705, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmøːɡn̩].

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 29131, this pair ranks #1,772,446 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mähen vs mögen

Shared letters: emn. Private to "mähen": . Private to "mögen": .

"mähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mögen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

mähen#27,426
mögen#1,705

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mähen" and "mögen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmɛːən] versus [ˈmøːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mähen" or "mögen"?
"mögen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,705 in our German list, against #27,426 for "mähen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mähen vs mögen

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