Which to use
“maximal” and “maximales” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,774
- “maximal” frequency rank
- #44,787
- “maximales” frequency rank
- 47561
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maximal | maximales |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | größtmöglich, höchstmöglich, höchst, in höchstem Maß | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs maximal |
Where the eye mixes maximal and maximales
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. maximal runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against maximales's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses maximal with maximales
A purely visual mix-up. maximal ([maksiˈmaːl]) and maximales ([maksiˈmaːləs]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “maximal” sits inside “maximales”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47561, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maximal is recorded at frequency rank #2,774, classified as anadj, pronounced [maksiˈmaːl]. maximales is at rank #44,787, tagged as anadj, pronounced [maksiˈmaːləs].
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 47561, this pair ranks #1,279,994 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of maximal vs maximales
Shared letters: ailmx. Private to "maximal": -. Private to "maximales": es.
"maximal" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "maximales" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "maximal" and "maximales" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "maximal" or "maximales"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "maximal" and "maximales" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "maximal" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "maximales" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,279,994 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maximal" and "maximales" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maximaler vs maximales". 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 #1,279,994 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.