ModevsMordeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,331
“Mode” frequency rank
#9,419
“Morde” frequency rank
12750
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Mode Morde
Definition Brauch, Gewohnheit, Sitte Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Mord

Where the eye mixes Mode and Morde

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Mode runs 4 letters (CVCV) against Morde's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
Mode
5 ch
Morde

Look-alike desk: Mode vs Morde

A purely visual mix-up. Mode ([ˈmoːdə]) and Morde ([ˈmɔʁdə]) 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 12750, 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]. Morde is at rank #9,419, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɔʁdə].

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 12750, this pair ranks #1,962,264 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Mode vs Morde

Shared letters: demo. Private to "Mode": -. Private to "Morde": r.

"Mode" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Morde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Mode ← mdoe · mmode · modde · moed · omde
  • Morde ← mmorde · modre · mordde · mored · morrde · mrode · omrde

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Mode" and "Morde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmoːdə] versus [ˈmɔʁdə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Mode" or "Morde" show up more?
"Mode" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,331 in our German list, against #9,419 for "Morde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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 "Morde" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,962,264 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Mode" and "Morde" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mora vs Morde". 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 #1,962,264 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