Which to use
“Modem” and “Motel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,677
- “Modem” frequency rank
- #30,211
- “Motel” frequency rank
- 55888
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Modem | Motel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Apparat zum Übertragen (Senden und Empfangen) digitaler Daten durch analoge Signale (häufig über Telefonleitungen) | Anlage mit mietbaren Appartements an Autobahnen |
Where the eye mixes Modem and Motel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Modem vs Motel
A purely visual mix-up. Modem ([ˈmoːdɛm]) and Motel ([ˈmoːtl̩]) 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 55888, 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]. Motel is at rank #30,211, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmoːtl̩].
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 55888, this pair ranks #961,807 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Modem vs Motel
Shared letters: emo. Private to "Modem": d. Private to "Motel": lt.
"Modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Motel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Modem" for "Motel" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Modem" vs "Motel" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Modem" and "Motel" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Modem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Motel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #961,807 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Modem" and "Motel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Memel vs Motel". 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 #961,807 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.