Which to use
“Muss” and “Mutes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #83
- “Muss” frequency rank
- #46,166
- “Mutes” frequency rank
- 46249
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Muss | Mutes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas, das absolut notwendig ist | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Mut |
Where the eye mixes Muss and Mutes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Muss runs 4 letters (CVCC) against Mutes's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Muss vs Mutes
A purely visual mix-up. Muss ([mʊs]) 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 46249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Muss is recorded at frequency rank #83, classified as anoun, pronounced [mʊs]. 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 46249, this pair ranks #1,325,618 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Muss vs Mutes
Shared letters: msu. Private to "Muss": -. Private to "Mutes": et.
"Muss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Mutes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Muss" and "Mutes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Muss" or "Mutes"?
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 "Muss" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Mutes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,325,618 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Muss" and "Mutes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "museo vs Mutes". 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 #1,325,618 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.