Which to use
“Masse” is a noun and “missen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,815
- “Masse” frequency rank
- #21,697
- “missen” frequency rank
- 23512
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Masse | missen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Ursache, dass der Materie Trägheit und Schwere (Gravitation) eigen sind; nach der Relativitätstheorie mit Kraft (Energie) gleichwertig (äquivalent) | etwas entbehren |
Where the eye mixes Masse and missen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Masse with missen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Masse is [ˈmasə] while missen is [ˈmɪsn̩]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23512, 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]. missen is at rank #21,697, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmɪsn̩].
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 23512, this pair ranks #1,860,344 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Masse vs missen
Shared letters: ems. Private to "Masse": a. Private to "missen": in.
"Masse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "missen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Masse" and "missen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Masse" vs "missen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "missen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,860,344 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Masse" and "missen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Madsen vs missen". 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 #1,860,344 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.