messernvsMessersWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#25,667
“messern” frequency rank
#38,899
“Messers” frequency rank
64566
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature messern Messers
Definition mit einem Messer schneiden/bearbeiten Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Messer

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set messern and Messers apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
messern
7 ch
Messers

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: messern is [ˈmɛsɐn] while Messers is [ˈmɛsɐs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “messern” becomes s in “Messers”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64566, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

messern is recorded at frequency rank #25,667, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmɛsɐn]. Messers is at rank #38,899, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɛsɐs].

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 64566, this pair ranks #636,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of messern vs Messers

Shared letters: emrs. Private to "messern": n. Private to "Messers": -.

"messern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Messers" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • messernemssern · mesern · mesesrn · messenr · messernn · messerrn · messren · meßern
  • Messersemssers · mesers · mesesrs · messerrs · messerss · messesr · messres · meßers

Frequency comparison

messern#25,667
Messers#38,899

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "messern" and "Messers" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "messern" is a verb and "Messers" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "messern" or "Messers"?
"messern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,667 in our German list, against #38,899 for "Messers". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering messern vs Messers

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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