MeilevsMetteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,698
“Meile” frequency rank
#47,587
“Mette” frequency rank
63285
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Meile Mette
Definition Längenmaß in der Größenordnung von 1 bis 11 Kilometer, früher in Deutschland und Österreich etwa 7,5 Kilometer entsprechend, noch heute offiziell im Vereinigten Königreich und in den Vereinigten Staaten (1,609 Kilometer) sowie inoffiziell noch in Norwegen und Schweden (10 Kilometer) christliche Liturgie, die spätabends, nachts oder frühmorgens stattfindet

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Meile and Mette apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Meile
5 ch
Mette

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Meile ([ˈmaɪ̯lə]) and Mette ([ˈmɛtə]) 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 63285, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Meile is recorded at frequency rank #15,698, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaɪ̯lə]. Mette is at rank #47,587, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛtə].

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 63285, this pair ranks #682,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Meile vs Mette

Shared letters: em. Private to "Meile": il. Private to "Mette": t.

"Meile" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "Mette" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Meileemile · meiel · meille · melie · miele · mmeile
  • Metteemtte · metet · mmette · mtete

Frequency comparison

Meile#15,698
Mette#47,587

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Meile" and "Mette" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmaɪ̯lə] versus [ˈmɛtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Meile" or "Mette"?
"Meile" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,698 in our German list, against #47,587 for "Mette". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Meile vs Mette

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 “Meile” 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