Which to use
“mean” and “Mett” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,306
- “mean” frequency rank
- #28,763
- “Mett” frequency rank
- 48069
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mean | Mett |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Ergebnis der Division einer Summe von Zahlen durch deren Anzahl | gewürztes Hackfleisch vom Schwein, manchmal auch mit Zwiebelstücken gemischt; kann roh gegessen oder wie Hackfleisch weiterverarbeitet werden |
Where the eye mixes mean and Mett
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. mean (CVVC) and Mett (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: mean vs Mett
A purely visual mix-up. mean ([mi(ː)n]) and Mett ([mɛt]) 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 48069, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mean is recorded at frequency rank #19,306, classified as anoun, pronounced [mi(ː)n]. Mett is at rank #28,763, tagged as anoun, pronounced [mɛt].
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 48069, this pair ranks #1,261,910 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mean vs Mett
Shared letters: em. Private to "mean": an. Private to "Mett": t.
"mean" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Mett" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mean" for "Mett" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mean" or "Mett"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mean" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Mett" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,261,910 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mean" and "Mett" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Mett vs mietet". 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 #1,261,910 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.