Which to use
“Malerei” and “Malerin” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,869
- “Malerei” frequency rank
- #27,408
- “Malerin” frequency rank
- 33277
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Malerei | Malerin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Werk eines Malers | Künstlerin, die Bilder malt |
Where the eye mixes Malerei and Malerin
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Malerei (CVCVCVV) and Malerin (CVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Malerei with Malerin
A purely visual mix-up. Malerei ([ˌmaːləˈʁaɪ̯]) and Malerin ([ˈmaːləʁɪn]) 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 33277, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Malerei is recorded at frequency rank #5,869, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌmaːləˈʁaɪ̯]. Malerin is at rank #27,408, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaːləʁɪn].
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 33277, this pair ranks #1,689,478 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Malerei vs Malerin
Shared letters: aeilmr. Private to "Malerei": -. Private to "Malerin": n.
"Malerei" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "Malerin" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Malerei" for "Malerin" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Malerei" or "Malerin"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Malerei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Malerin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,689,478 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Malerei" and "Malerin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Malerin vs Malern". 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 #1,689,478 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.