Which to use
“Methan” and “Methanol” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,415
- “Methan” frequency rank
- #48,332
- “Methanol” frequency rank
- 75747
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Methan | Methanol |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | farb- und geruchlose, brennbare Gasverbindung, deren Moleküle aus einem Kohlenstoff- und vier Wasserstoffatomen bestehen | Alkohol mit der Summenformel CH₄O und der Strukturformel CH₃-OH |
Where the eye mixes Methan and Methanol
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Methan and Methanol
A purely visual mix-up. Methan ([meˈtaːn]) and Methanol ([metaˈnoːl]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Methan” sits inside “Methanol”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75747, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Methan is recorded at frequency rank #27,415, classified as anoun, pronounced [meˈtaːn]. Methanol is at rank #48,332, tagged as anoun, pronounced [metaˈnoːl].
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 75747, this pair ranks #300,366 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Methan vs Methanol
Shared letters: aehmnt. Private to "Methan": -. Private to "Methanol": lo.
"Methan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Methanol" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Methan" for "Methanol" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Methan" or "Methanol"?
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 "Methan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Methanol" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #300,366 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Methan" and "Methanol" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Methan vs method". 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 #300,366 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.