MalzvsmaysWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,306
“Malz” frequency rank
#44,064
“mays” frequency rank
72370
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Malz mays
Definition in Wasser gekeimtes und anschließend getrocknetes (gedarrtes) Getreide, meist Gerste; wird hauptsächlich zur Bierherstellung verwendet das Artepitheton für den Mais (Zea mays)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Malz and mays apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Malz
4 ch
mays

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Malz and mays are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72370, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Malz is recorded at frequency rank #28,306, classified as anoun, pronounced [malt͡s]. mays is at rank #44,064, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 72370, this pair ranks #390,281 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Malz vs mays

Shared letters: am. Private to "Malz": lz. Private to "mays": sy.

"Malz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "mays" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Malzamlz · mallz · malzz · mazl · mlaz · mmalz
  • maysamys · masy · mayss · mayys · mmays · myas

Frequency comparison

Malz#28,306
mays#44,064

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Malz" and "mays" be used interchangeably?
No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "Malz" or "mays"?
"Malz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,306 in our German list, against #44,064 for "mays". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Malz vs mays

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 “Malz” 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