matavsmazeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,084
“mata” frequency rank
#44,065
“maze” frequency rank
84149
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mata maze
Definition Plural des Substantivs mace Irrgarten oder ein Gewirr wie ein Irrgarten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mata and maze apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mata
4 ch
maze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mata ([máːtáː]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84149, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mata is recorded at frequency rank #40,084, classified as anoun, pronounced [máːtáː]. 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 84149, this pair ranks #128,365 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mata vs maze

Shared letters: am. Private to "mata": t. Private to "maze": ez.

"mata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "maze" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mataamta · maat · matta · mmata · mtaa
  • mazeamze · maez · mazze · mmaze · mzae

Frequency comparison

mata#40,084
maze#44,065

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mata" and "maze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([máːtáː] versus [meɪz]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mata" or "maze"?
"mata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,084 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 mata 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 “mata” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list