Mädchen
[ˈmɛːtçən]
The verdict
“Mädchen” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #534 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #534
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - weibliches Kind
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Mädchen |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈmɛːtçən] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #534 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Mädchen” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Mädchen is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈmɛːtçən]. Corpus data places it at rank #534 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Mädchen, with forms such as "mdächen", "mmädchen", and "mäcdhen". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mähen", "Maden", "manche", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Mädchen, spelled M-Ä-D-C-H-E-N.
Definition
- 1weibliches Kind
- 2junge Frau
- 3weibliche Hausangestellte
- 4befreundete weibliche Person
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: mdächen,mmädchen,mäcdhen,mädcchen,mädcehn,mädchenn,mädchhen,mädchne,mäddchen,mädhcen,ämdchen
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Mädchen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "Mädchen"?
What does "Mädchen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Mädchen"?
How do you pronounce "Mädchen"?
What language does "Mädchen" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Mädchen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is M-Ä-D-C-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈmɛːtçən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “mähen” - see the side-by-side comparison. Mädchen vs mähen
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.