MakrovsmetroWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,188
“Makro” frequency rank
#10,697
“metro” frequency rank
40885
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Makro metro
Definition eine fest vorgegebene Folge von Befehlen, Aktionen oder Tastaturcodes in den Bereichen Anwendungsprogramme, Programmierung und PC-Spiele (länger auch Makrobefehl) die U-Bahn

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Makro
5 ch
metro

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Makro ([ˈmaːkʁo]) and metro ([ˈmɛːtro]) 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 40885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Makro is recorded at frequency rank #30,188, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaːkʁo]. metro is at rank #10,697, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːtro].

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 40885, this pair ranks #1,495,543 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Makro vs metro

Shared letters: mor. Private to "Makro": ak. Private to "metro": et.

"Makro" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "metro" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Makroamkro · makkro · makor · makrro · mkaro · mmakro
  • metroemtro · merto · metor · metrro · mettro · mmetro · mtero

Frequency comparison

Makro#30,188
metro#10,697

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Makro" and "metro" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmaːkʁo] versus [ˈmɛːtro]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Makro" or "metro"?
"metro" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,697 in our German list, against #30,188 for "Makro". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Makro vs metro

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 “Makro” 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