Which to use
“Masse” and “Mäuse” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,815
- “Masse” frequency rank
- #12,350
- “Mäuse” frequency rank
- 14165
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Masse | Mäuse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Ursache, dass der Materie Trägheit und Schwere (Gravitation) eigen sind; nach der Relativitätstheorie mit Kraft (Energie) gleichwertig (äquivalent) | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Maus |
Where the eye mixes Masse and Mäuse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Masse with Mäuse
A purely visual mix-up. Masse ([ˈmasə]) and Mäuse ([ˈmɔɪ̯zə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14165, 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]. Mäuse is at rank #12,350, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɔɪ̯zə].
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 14165, this pair ranks #1,953,106 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Masse vs Mäuse
Shared letters: ems. Private to "Masse": a. Private to "Mäuse": uä.
"Masse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Mäuse" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Masse ← amsse · mase · mases · maße · mmasse · msase
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Masse" for "Mäuse" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Masse" vs "Mäuse" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
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 "Mäuse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,953,106 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Masse" and "Mäuse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Mäuse 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 #1,953,106 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.