misvsmmeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,676
“mis” frequency rank
#46,851
“mme” frequency rank
84527
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mis mme
Definition rotes, leicht formbares Metall, das sich gut als Stromleiter eignet; Kupfer Mutter

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mis and mme apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
mis
3 ch
mme

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mis ([mis]) and mme ([m̩mɛ]) 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 84527, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mis is recorded at frequency rank #37,676, classified as anoun, pronounced [mis]. mme is at rank #46,851, tagged as anoun, pronounced [m̩mɛ].

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 84527, this pair ranks #122,333 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mis vs mme

Shared letters: m. Private to "mis": is. Private to "mme": e.

"mis" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "mme" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequency comparison

mis#37,676
mme#46,851

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mis" and "mme" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mis] versus [m̩mɛ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mis" or "mme"?
"mis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,676 in our German list, against #46,851 for "mme". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mis vs mme

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mis” 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