Which to use
“Muster” and “Mute” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,061
- “Muster” frequency rank
- #40,098
- “Mute” frequency rank
- 44159
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Muster | Mute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gleichbleibende Struktur, die einer sich wiederholenden Sache zu Grunde liegt | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Mut |
Where the eye mixes Muster and Mute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Muster with Mute
A purely visual mix-up. Muster ([ˈmʊstɐ]) and Mute ([ˈmuːtə]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Muster is recorded at frequency rank #4,061, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmʊstɐ]. Mute is at rank #40,098, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmuːtə].
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 44159, this pair ranks #1,395,087 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Muster vs Mute
Shared letters: emtu. Private to "Muster": rs. Private to "Mute": -.
"Muster" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Mute" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Muster" for "Mute" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Muster" or "Mute"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Muster" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Mute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,395,087 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Muster" and "Mute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Matze vs Mute". 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 #1,395,087 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.