maximalevsminimaleWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,504
“maximale” frequency rank
#18,985
“minimale” frequency rank
26489
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature maximale minimale
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs maximal Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs minimal

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maximale and minimale apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
maximale
8 ch
minimale

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. maximale ([maksiˈmaːlə]) and minimale ([miniˈmaːlə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26489, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

maximale is recorded at frequency rank #7,504, classified as anadj, pronounced [maksiˈmaːlə]. minimale is at rank #18,985, tagged as anadj, pronounced [miniˈmaːlə].

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 26489, this pair ranks #1,817,250 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of maximale vs minimale

Shared letters: aeilm. Private to "maximale": x. Private to "minimale": n.

"maximale" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "minimale" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • maximaleamximale · maixmale · maxiamle · maximael · maximalle · maximlae · maximmale · maxmiale
  • minimaleimnimale · miinmale · miniamle · minimael · minimalle · minimlae · minimmale · minmiale

Frequency comparison

maximale#7,504
minimale#18,985

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "maximale" and "minimale" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([maksiˈmaːlə] versus [miniˈmaːlə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "maximale" or "minimale"?
"maximale" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,504 in our German list, against #18,985 for "minimale". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering maximale vs minimale

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 “maximale” 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