Which to use
“mahlen” is a verb and “Mähne” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,068
- “mahlen” frequency rank
- #37,097
- “Mähne” frequency rank
- 74165
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mahlen | Mähne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Material (mit einer Mühle) zerkleinern, indem es gerieben und gequetscht wird | Gesamtheit der langen Haare, die einigen Tieren, zum Beispiel Löwen oder Pferden, am Kopf wachsen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mahlen and Mähne apart are highlighted. They share 3 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: mahlen is [ˈmaːlən] while Mähne is [ˈmɛːnə]. 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 74165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mahlen is recorded at frequency rank #37,068, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmaːlən]. Mähne is at rank #37,097, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːnə].
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 74165, this pair ranks #340,696 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mahlen vs Mähne
Shared letters: ehmn. Private to "mahlen": al. Private to "Mähne": ä.
"mahlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Mähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mahlen ← amhlen · maheln · mahhlen · mahlenn · mahllen · mahlne · malhen · mhalen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mahlen" and "Mähne" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mahlen" or "Mähne"?
Remembering mahlen vs Mähne
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “mahlen”; for a noun, it's “Mähne”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mahlen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable