Which to use
“mein” and “mir” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #117
- “mein” frequency rank
- #62
- “mir” frequency rank
- 179
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mein | mir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zeigt den Besitz, das Eigentum oder die Zugehörigkeit einer Person bzw. Sache zu sich selbst an | Dativ der ersten Person Singular |
Where the eye mixes mein and mir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: mein vs mir
A purely visual mix-up. mein ([maɪ̯n]) and mir ([miːɐ̯]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 179, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mein is recorded at frequency rank #117, classified as apron, pronounced [maɪ̯n]. mir is at rank #62, tagged as apron, pronounced [miːɐ̯].
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 179, this pair ranks #2,006,181 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mein vs mir
Shared letters: im. Private to "mein": en. Private to "mir": r.
"mein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "mir" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mein ← emin · meinn · meni · mien · mmein
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mein" for "mir" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "mein" or "mir" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,006,181 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mein" and "mir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mir vs mora". 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 #2,006,181 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.