mattesvsMatzeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mattes is a adjective, Matze is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mattes” is an adjective and “Matze” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,895
“mattes” frequency rank
#48,323
“Matze” frequency rank
87218
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mattes Matze
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs matt ungesäuertes Fladenbrot, welches während der Passahzeit gegessen wird

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mattes and Matze apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
mattes
5 ch
Matze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mattes is [ˈmatəs] while Matze is [ˈmat͡sə]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87218, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mattes is recorded at frequency rank #38,895, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈmatəs]. Matze is at rank #48,323, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat͡sə].

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 87218, this pair ranks #83,276 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mattes vs Matze

Shared letters: aemt. Private to "mattes": s. Private to "Matze": z.

"mattes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Matze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mattesmatets · mattess · mattse · mmattes · mtates
  • Matzeamtze · matez · mattze · matzze · mazte · mmatze · mtaze

Frequency comparison

mattes#38,895
Matze#48,323

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mattes" and "Matze" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mattes" is an adjective and "Matze" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mattes" or "Matze"?
"mattes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,895 in our German list, against #48,323 for "Matze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mattes vs Matze

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “mattes”; for a noun, it's “Matze”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mattes” 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