Which to use
“maximum” is an adjective and “Minimum” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,480
- “maximum” frequency rank
- #9,594
- “Minimum” frequency rank
- 21074
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maximum | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | größtmöglich | der kleinste Anteil, das kleinste Maß |
Where the eye mixes maximum and Minimum
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: maximum vs Minimum
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: maximum is [mak.si.mɔm] while Minimum is [ˈmiːnimʊm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21074, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maximum is recorded at frequency rank #11,480, classified as anadj, pronounced [mak.si.mɔm]. Minimum is at rank #9,594, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmiːnimʊm].
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 21074, this pair ranks #1,890,453 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of maximum vs Minimum
Shared letters: imu. Private to "maximum": ax. Private to "Minimum": n.
"maximum" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "Minimum" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maximum" and "Minimum" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "maximum" or "Minimum" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "maximum" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Minimum" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,890,453 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maximum" and "Minimum" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Maxima vs maximum". 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 #1,890,453 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.