merkvsmetroWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: merk is a verb, metro is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“merk” is a verb and “metro” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,537
“merk” frequency rank
#10,697
“metro” frequency rank
23234
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature merk metro
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs merken die U-Bahn

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
merk
5 ch
metro

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: merk is [mɛʁk] while metro is [ˈmɛːtro]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23234, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

merk is recorded at frequency rank #12,537, classified as averb, pronounced [mɛʁk]. metro is at rank #10,697, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛːtro].

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 23234, this pair ranks #1,863,975 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of merk vs metro

Shared letters: emr. Private to "merk": k. Private to "metro": ot.

"merk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "metro" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • merkmekr · merkk · merrk · mmerk · mrek
  • metroemtro · merto · metor · metrro · mettro · mmetro · mtero

Frequency comparison

merk#12,537
metro#10,697

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "merk" and "metro" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "merk" is a verb and "metro" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "merk" or "metro"?
"metro" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,697 in our German list, against #12,537 for "merk". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering merk vs metro

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “merk”; for a noun, it's “metro”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “merk” 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