messbarvsMesserTell them apart

Quick tell: messbar is a adjective, Messer is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“messbar” is an adjective and “Messer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,666
“messbar” frequency rank
#2,668
“Messer” frequency rank
28334
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature messbar Messer
Definition so, dass es gemessen werden kann; zu messen möglich Schneidewerkzeug mit Griff und Klinge

Where the eye mixes messbar and Messer

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
messbar
6 ch
Messer

Look-alike desk: messbar vs Messer

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: messbar is [ˈmɛsbaːɐ̯] while Messer is [ˈmɛsɐ]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28334, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

messbar is recorded at frequency rank #25,666, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈmɛsbaːɐ̯]. Messer is at rank #2,668, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛsɐ].

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 28334, this pair ranks #1,786,636 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of messbar vs Messer

Shared letters: emrs. Private to "messbar": ab. Private to "Messer": -.

"messbar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Messer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • messbaremssbar · mesbar · mesbsar · messabr · messbarr · messbbar · messbra · meßbar
  • Messeremsser · meser · mesesr · messerr · messre · meßer · mmesser · mseser

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "messbar" and "Messer" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "messbar" is an adjective and "Messer" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "messbar" or "Messer"?
"Messer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,668 in our German list, against #25,666 for "messbar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "messbar" and "Messer" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "messbar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Messer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,786,636 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "messbar" and "Messer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "messbar vs messbaren". 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 #1,786,636 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list