MühevsMutesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,352
“Mühe” frequency rank
#46,166
“Mutes” frequency rank
48518
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Mühe Mutes
Definition körperliche oder geistige Anstrengung Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Mut

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Mühe
5 ch
Mutes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Mühe ([ˈmyːə]) and Mutes ([ˈmuːtəs]) 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 48518, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Mühe is recorded at frequency rank #2,352, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmyːə]. Mutes is at rank #46,166, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmuːtəs].

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 48518, this pair ranks #1,245,632 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Mühe vs Mutes

Shared letters: em. Private to "Mühe": . Private to "Mutes": stu.

"Mühe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Mutes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Mutesmmutes · mtues · muets · mutess · mutse · muttes · umtes

Frequency comparison

Mühe#2,352
Mutes#46,166

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Mühe" and "Mutes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmyːə] versus [ˈmuːtəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Mühe" or "Mutes"?
"Mühe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,352 in our German list, against #46,166 for "Mutes". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Mühe vs Mutes

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 “Mühe” 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