Which to use
“mahnen” and “mahnte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,659
- “mahnen” frequency rank
- #33,177
- “mahnte” frequency rank
- 65836
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mahnen | mahnte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eindringlich zu einem bestimmten, als erforderlich erachteten Handeln und Benehmen auffordern, drängen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs mahnen |
Where the eye mixes mahnen and mahnte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. mahnen (CVCCVC) and mahnte (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: mahnen vs mahnte
A purely visual mix-up. mahnen ([ˈmaːnən]) and mahnte ([ˈmaːntə]) 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 65836, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mahnen is recorded at frequency rank #32,659, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmaːnən]. mahnte is at rank #33,177, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmaːntə].
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 65836, this pair ranks #593,351 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mahnen vs mahnte
Shared letters: aehmn. Private to "mahnen": -. Private to "mahnte": t.
"mahnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "mahnte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mahnen" and "mahnte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "mahnen" or "mahnte" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "mahnen" and "mahnte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mahnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mahnte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #593,351 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mahnen" and "mahnte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "magnete vs mahnte". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #593,351 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.