MatrosevsMatrosenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#46,135
“Matrose” frequency rank
#22,428
“Matrosen” frequency rank
68563
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Matrose Matrosen
Definition Angehöriger der Marine; niedrigster Dienstgrad Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Matrose

Where the eye mixes Matrose and Matrosen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Matrose runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against Matrosen's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Matrose
8 ch
Matrosen

Visual trap between Matrose and Matrosen

A purely visual mix-up. Matrose ([maˈtʁoːzə]) and Matrosen ([maˈtʁoːzn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Matrose” sits inside “Matrosen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Matrose is recorded at frequency rank #46,135, classified as anoun, pronounced [maˈtʁoːzə]. Matrosen is at rank #22,428, tagged as anoun, pronounced [maˈtʁoːzn̩].

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 68563, this pair ranks #503,838 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Matrose vs Matrosen

Shared letters: aemorst. Private to "Matrose": -. Private to "Matrosen": n.

"Matrose" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "Matrosen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Matrose ← amtrose · martose · matorse · matroes · matrosse · matrrose · matrsoe · mattrose
  • Matrosen ← amtrosen · martosen · matorsen · matroesn · matrosenn · matrosne · matrossen · matrrosen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Matrose" and "Matrosen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([maˈtʁoːzə] versus [maˈtʁoːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Matrose" vs "Matrosen" - which ranks higher?
"Matrosen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,428 in our German list, against #46,135 for "Matrose". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Matrose" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Matrosen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #503,838 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Matrose" and "Matrosen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "marode vs Matrose". 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 #503,838 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list