Which to use
“mahnen” and “mailen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,659
- “mahnen” frequency rank
- #49,065
- “mailen” frequency rank
- 81724
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mahnen | mailen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eindringlich zu einem bestimmten, als erforderlich erachteten Handeln und Benehmen auffordern, drängen | eine E-Mail versenden, schicken |
Where the eye mixes mahnen and mailen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. mahnen (CVCCVC) and mailen (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses mahnen with mailen
A purely visual mix-up. mahnen ([ˈmaːnən]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81724, 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]. 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 81724, this pair ranks #170,368 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mahnen vs mailen
Shared letters: aemn. Private to "mahnen": h. Private to "mailen": il.
"mahnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "mailen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mahnen" and "mailen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "mahnen" or "mailen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mahnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mailen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #170,368 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mahnen" and "mailen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Madsen vs mailen". 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 #170,368 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.