mattesvsMotteWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#38,895
“mattes” frequency rank
#32,677
“Motte” frequency rank
71572
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mattes Motte
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs matt Kleinschmetterling mit etwa 1 cm spannenden schmalen Flügeln, dessen Raupe unter anderem Wolle, Seide, Pelzwerk und Tapeten befällt

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
mattes
5 ch
Motte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mattes is [ˈmatəs] while Motte is [ˈmɔtə]. 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 71572, 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]. Motte is at rank #32,677, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɔtə].

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 71572, this pair ranks #412,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mattes vs Motte

Shared letters: emt. Private to "mattes": as. Private to "Motte": o.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mattesmatets · mattess · mattse · mmattes · mtates
  • Mottemmotte · mote · motet · mtote · omtte

Frequency comparison

mattes#38,895
Motte#32,677

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mattes" and "Motte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mattes" is an adjective and "Motte" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mattes" or "Motte"?
"Motte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,677 in our German list, against #38,895 for "mattes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mattes vs Motte

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 “Motte”.
  • 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