Which to use
“Mode” is a noun and “modern” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,331
- “Mode” frequency rank
- #4,450
- “modern” frequency rank
- 7781
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Mode | modern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Brauch, Gewohnheit, Sitte | der Zeit entsprechend, neuzeitlich |
Where the eye mixes Mode and modern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Mode with modern
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Mode is [ˈmoːdə] while modern is [moˈdɛʁn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Mode” sits inside “modern”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7781, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Mode is recorded at frequency rank #3,331, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmoːdə]. modern is at rank #4,450, tagged as anadj, pronounced [moˈdɛʁn].
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 7781, this pair ranks #1,986,922 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Mode vs modern
Shared letters: demo. Private to "Mode": -. Private to "modern": nr.
"Mode" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "modern" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Mode" for "modern" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Mode" or "modern"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Mode" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "modern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,986,922 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Mode" and "modern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "modern vs Mörderin". 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 #1,986,922 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.