MückevsMuldeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,075
“Mücke” frequency rank
#26,976
“Mulde” frequency rank
49051
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Mücke Mulde
Definition kleines zweiflügliges Stechinsekt (Diptera, Unterordnung Nematocera), besonders Stechmücke längliches, abgerundetes Gefäß mit einer flachen Vertiefung, das sowohl aus einem Stück als auch aus einem Material gefertigt ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Mücke and Mulde apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Mücke
5 ch
Mulde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Mücke ([ˈmʏkə]) and Mulde ([ˈmʊldə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49051, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Mücke is recorded at frequency rank #22,075, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmʏkə]. Mulde is at rank #26,976, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmʊldə].

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 49051, this pair ranks #1,225,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Mücke vs Mulde

Shared letters: em. Private to "Mücke": ckü. Private to "Mulde": dlu.

"Mücke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Mulde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Muldemlude · mmulde · mudle · muldde · muled · mullde · umlde

Frequency comparison

Mücke#22,075
Mulde#26,976

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Mücke" and "Mulde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmʏkə] versus [ˈmʊldə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Mücke" or "Mulde"?
"Mücke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,075 in our German list, against #26,976 for "Mulde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Mücke vs Mulde

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 “Mücke” 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