MinutevsMinzeConfusable pair

Which to use

“Minute” and “Minze” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,398
“Minute” frequency rank
#33,189
“Minze” frequency rank
34587
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Minute Minze
Definition der 60. Teil einer Stunde die Lippenblütlergattung Mentha (deutsch: Minzen), mit mehreren schwer zu unterscheidenden Arten

Where the eye mixes Minute and Minze

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Minute
5 ch
Minze

Why the eye confuses Minute with Minze

A purely visual mix-up. Minute ([miˈnuːtə]) and Minze ([ˈmɪnt͡sə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34587, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Minute is recorded at frequency rank #1,398, classified as anoun, pronounced [miˈnuːtə]. Minze is at rank #33,189, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɪnt͡sə].

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 34587, this pair ranks #1,659,870 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Minute vs Minze

Shared letters: eimn. Private to "Minute": tu. Private to "Minze": z.

"Minute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "Minze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Minuteimnute · minnute · mintue · minuet · minutte · miunte · mminute · mniute
  • Minzeimnze · minez · minnze · minzze · mizne · mminze · mnize

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Minute" and "Minze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([miˈnuːtə] versus [ˈmɪnt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Minute" or "Minze"?
"Minute" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,398 in our German list, against #33,189 for "Minze". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Minute" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Minze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,659,870 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Minute" and "Minze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Matze vs Minze". 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 #1,659,870 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