mattervsmittlerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,623
“matter” frequency rank
#27,851
“mittler” frequency rank
46474
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matter mittler
Definition Nominativ Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs matt Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs mittel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set matter and mittler apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
matter
7 ch
mittler

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. matter ([ˈmatɐ]) and mittler ([ˈmɪtlɐ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46474, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

matter is recorded at frequency rank #18,623, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈmatɐ]. mittler is at rank #27,851, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈmɪtlɐ].

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 46474, this pair ranks #1,317,856 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of matter vs mittler

Shared letters: emrt. Private to "matter": a. Private to "mittler": il.

"matter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "mittler" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • matteramtter · matetr · matterr · mattre · mmatter · mtater
  • mittlerimttler · mitler · mitlter · mittelr · mittlerr · mittller · mittlre · mmittler

Frequency comparison

matter#18,623
mittler#27,851

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "matter" and "mittler" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmatɐ] versus [ˈmɪtlɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "matter" or "mittler"?
"matter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,623 in our German list, against #27,851 for "mittler". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering matter vs mittler

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 “matter” 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