Which to use
“Mikroben” and “Mikrofon” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,842
- “Mikroben” frequency rank
- #11,932
- “Mikrofon” frequency rank
- 58774
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Mikroben | Mikrofon |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Mikrobe | ein technisches Gerät zur Aufnahme von Tönen |
Where the eye mixes Mikroben and Mikrofon
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Mikroben and Mikrofon follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between Mikroben and Mikrofon
A purely visual mix-up. Mikroben ([miˈkʁoːbn̩]) and Mikrofon ([mikʁoˈfoːn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58774, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Mikroben is recorded at frequency rank #46,842, classified as anoun, pronounced [miˈkʁoːbn̩]. Mikrofon is at rank #11,932, tagged as anoun, pronounced [mikʁoˈfoːn].
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 58774, this pair ranks #849,860 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Mikroben vs Mikrofon
Shared letters: ikmnor. Private to "Mikroben": be. Private to "Mikrofon": f.
"Mikroben" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "Mikrofon" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Mikroben" for "Mikrofon" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Mikroben" vs "Mikrofon" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Mikroben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Mikrofon" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #849,860 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Mikroben" and "Mikrofon" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Mikrofon vs Mikrofone". 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 #849,860 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.