ModemvsModulTell them apart

Which to use

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

#25,677
“Modem” frequency rank
#14,636
“Modul” frequency rank
40313
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Modem Modul
Definition Apparat zum Übertragen (Senden und Empfangen) digitaler Daten durch analoge Signale (häufig über Telefonleitungen) technische oder organisatorische Einheit, die mit anderen Einheiten zu einem höherwertigen Ganzen zusammengefügt werden kann, auch Bauteil eines Baukastensystems

Where the eye mixes Modem and Modul

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Modem
5 ch
Modul

Look-alike desk: Modem vs Modul

A purely visual mix-up. Modem ([ˈmoːdɛm]) and Modul ([moˈduːl]) 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 40313, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Modem is recorded at frequency rank #25,677, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmoːdɛm]. Modul is at rank #14,636, tagged as anoun, pronounced [moˈduːl].

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 40313, this pair ranks #1,512,055 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Modem vs Modul

Shared letters: dmo. Private to "Modem": e. Private to "Modul": lu.

"Modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Modul" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Modemmdoem · mmodem · moddem · modemm · modme · moedm · omdem
  • Modulmdoul · mmodul · moddul · modlu · modull · moudl · omdul

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Modem" for "Modul" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmoːdɛm] versus [moˈduːl]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Modem" or "Modul" show up more?
"Modul" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,636 in our German list, against #25,677 for "Modem". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Modem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Modul" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,512,055 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Modem" and "Modul" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Modem vs Moden". 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 #1,512,055 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