mahnenvsMännernWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mahnen is a verb, Männern is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mahnen” is a verb and “Männern” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,659
“mahnen” frequency rank
#1,896
“Männern” frequency rank
34555
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mahnen Männern
Definition eindringlich zu einem bestimmten, als erforderlich erachteten Handeln und Benehmen auffordern, drängen Dativ Plural des Substantivs Mann

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mahnen and Männern apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
mahnen
7 ch
Männern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mahnen is [ˈmaːnən] while Männern is [ˈmɛnɐn]. 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 34555, 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]. Männern is at rank #1,896, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛnɐn].

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 34555, this pair ranks #1,660,604 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mahnen vs Männern

Shared letters: emn. Private to "mahnen": ah. Private to "Männern": .

"mahnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Männern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mahnenamhnen · mahenn · mahhnen · mahnenn · mahnne · mahnnen · manhen · mhanen

Frequency comparison

mahnen#32,659
Männern#1,896

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mahnen" and "Männern" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mahnen" is a verb and "Männern" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mahnen" or "Männern"?
"Männern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,896 in our German list, against #32,659 for "mahnen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mahnen vs Männern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “mahnen”; for a noun, it's “Männern”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mahnen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list