Which to use
“Masse” is a noun and “massig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,815
- “Masse” frequency rank
- #28,309
- “massig” frequency rank
- 30124
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Masse | massig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Ursache, dass der Materie Trägheit und Schwere (Gravitation) eigen sind; nach der Relativitätstheorie mit Kraft (Energie) gleichwertig (äquivalent) | mit Masse ausgestattet; über genügend, ausreichend Masse verfügend |
Where the eye mixes Masse and massig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Masse runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against massig's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Masse with massig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Masse is [ˈmasə] while massig is [ˈmasɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30124, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Masse is recorded at frequency rank #1,815, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmasə]. massig is at rank #28,309, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈmasɪç].
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 30124, this pair ranks #1,753,956 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Masse vs massig
Shared letters: ams. Private to "Masse": e. Private to "massig": gi.
"Masse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "massig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Masse" for "massig" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Masse" or "massig" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Masse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "massig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,753,956 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Masse" and "massig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "massig vs missing". 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 #1,753,956 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.