Which to use
“mum” is a noun and “mur” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,295
- “mum” frequency rank
- #26,534
- “mur” frequency rank
- 37829
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mum | mur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ester aus Fettsäuren und langkettigen Alkoholen; Wachs | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs muren |
Where the eye mixes mum and mur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between mum and mur
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mum is [mum] while mur is [muːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - m in “mum” becomes r in “mur”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37829, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mum is recorded at frequency rank #11,295, classified as anoun, pronounced [mum]. mur is at rank #26,534, tagged as averb, pronounced [muːɐ̯].
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 37829, this pair ranks #1,580,008 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mum vs mur
Shared letters: mu. Private to "mum": -. Private to "mur": r.
"mum" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "mur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mum" and "mur" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "mum" vs "mur" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mum" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,580,008 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mum" and "mur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mora vs mur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,580,008 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.