MaravsMarieWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,981
“Mara” frequency rank
#3,138
“Marie” frequency rank
22119
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Mara Marie
Definition Nagetier, Art der Meerschweinchen, die in Südamerika beheimatet ist Geld

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Mara
5 ch
Marie

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Mara ([ˈmaːʁa]) and Marie ([maˈʁiː]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22119, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Mara is recorded at frequency rank #18,981, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaːʁa]. Marie is at rank #3,138, tagged as anoun, pronounced [maˈʁiː].

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 22119, this pair ranks #1,878,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Mara vs Marie

Shared letters: amr. Private to "Mara": -. Private to "Marie": ei.

"Mara" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Marie" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Maraamra · maar · marra · mmara · mraa
  • Marieamrie · maire · marei · marrie · mmarie · mraie

Frequency comparison

Mara#18,981
Marie#3,138

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Mara" and "Marie" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmaːʁa] versus [maˈʁiː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Mara" or "Marie"?
"Marie" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,138 in our German list, against #18,981 for "Mara". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Mara vs Marie

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 “Mara” 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