Which to use
“mahlen” and “mailen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,068
- “mahlen” frequency rank
- #49,065
- “mailen” frequency rank
- 86133
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mahlen | mailen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Material (mit einer Mühle) zerkleinern, indem es gerieben und gequetscht wird | eine E-Mail versenden, schicken |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mahlen and mailen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. mahlen ([ˈmaːlən]) and mailen ([ˈmɛɪ̯lən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - h in “mahlen” becomes i in “mailen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86133, 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]. mailen is at rank #49,065, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmɛɪ̯lən].
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 86133, this pair ranks #98,158 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mahlen vs mailen
Shared letters: aelmn. Private to "mahlen": h. Private to "mailen": i.
"mahlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "mailen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mahlen" and "mailen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mahlen" or "mailen"?
Remembering mahlen vs mailen
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 “mahlen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable