MähnevsMäuseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,097
“Mähne” frequency rank
#12,350
“Mäuse” frequency rank
49447
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Mähne Mäuse
Definition Gesamtheit der langen Haare, die einigen Tieren, zum Beispiel Löwen oder Pferden, am Kopf wachsen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Maus

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Mähne
5 ch
Mäuse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Mähne ([ˈmɛːnə]) and Mäuse ([ˈmɔɪ̯zə]) 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 49447, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Mähne is recorded at frequency rank #37,097, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːnə]. Mäuse is at rank #12,350, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɔɪ̯zə].

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 49447, this pair ranks #1,211,192 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Mähne vs Mäuse

Shared letters: emä. Private to "Mähne": hn. Private to "Mäuse": su.

"Mähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Mäuse" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Frequency comparison

Mähne#37,097
Mäuse#12,350

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Mähne" and "Mäuse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmɛːnə] versus [ˈmɔɪ̯zə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Mähne" or "Mäuse"?
"Mäuse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,350 in our German list, against #37,097 for "Mähne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Mähne vs Mäuse

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 “Mähne” 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