MaskevsmazeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,623
“Maske” frequency rank
#44,065
“maze” frequency rank
49688
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Maske maze
Definition Gegenstand zur Verhüllung oder zum Schutz Irrgarten oder ein Gewirr wie ein Irrgarten

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Maske
4 ch
maze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Maske ([ˈmaskə]) and maze ([meɪz]) 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 49688, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Maske is recorded at frequency rank #5,623, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaskə]. maze is at rank #44,065, tagged as anoun, pronounced [meɪz].

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 49688, this pair ranks #1,202,026 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Maske vs maze

Shared letters: aem. Private to "Maske": ks. Private to "maze": z.

"Maske" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "maze" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Maskeamske · makse · masek · maskke · masske · mmaske · msake
  • mazeamze · maez · mazze · mmaze · mzae

Frequency comparison

Maske#5,623
maze#44,065

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Maske" and "maze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmaskə] versus [meɪz]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Maske" or "maze"?
"Maske" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,623 in our German list, against #44,065 for "maze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Maske vs maze

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 “Maske” 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