Which to use
“matt” is an adjective and “Maut” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,281
- “matt” frequency rank
- #8,753
- “Maut” frequency rank
- 14034
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | matt | Maut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit Anzeichen von Ermüdung oder Erschöpfung, mitnichten lebhaft oder rege | Zoll |
Where the eye mixes matt and Maut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses matt with Maut
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: matt is [mat] while Maut is [maʊ̯t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - t in “matt” becomes u in “Maut”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14034, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
matt is recorded at frequency rank #5,281, classified as anadj, pronounced [mat]. Maut is at rank #8,753, tagged as anoun, pronounced [maʊ̯t].
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 14034, this pair ranks #1,954,029 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of matt vs Maut
Shared letters: amt. Private to "matt": -. Private to "Maut": u.
"matt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Maut" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "matt" and "Maut" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "matt" or "Maut" 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 "matt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Maut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,954,029 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matt" and "Maut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Mals vs Maut". 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 #1,954,029 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.