Which to use
“Masse” and “Maus” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,815
- “Masse” frequency rank
- #4,634
- “Maus” frequency rank
- 6449
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Masse | Maus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Ursache, dass der Materie Trägheit und Schwere (Gravitation) eigen sind; nach der Relativitätstheorie mit Kraft (Energie) gleichwertig (äquivalent) | kleines graues oder braunes Säugetier mit überwiegend langem Schwanz, rattenähnlich, in der Zuchtform auch weiß oder schwarz |
Where the eye mixes Masse and Maus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Masse with Maus
A purely visual mix-up. Masse ([ˈmasə]) and Maus ([maʊ̯s]) 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 6449, 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]. Maus is at rank #4,634, tagged as anoun, pronounced [maʊ̯s].
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 6449, this pair ranks #1,991,604 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Masse vs Maus
Shared letters: ams. Private to "Masse": e. Private to "Maus": u.
"Masse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Maus" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Masse" for "Maus" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Masse" or "Maus" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Masse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Maus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,991,604 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Masse" and "Maus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Maus vs Mauser". 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 #1,991,604 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.