mähen

[ˈmɛːən]

/[ˈmɛːən]/ verb

The verdict

“mähen” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #27,426 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#27,426
frequency rank, German
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) — mit der Sense, Sichel, mit einer Mähmaschine Pflanzen bis zum Ansatz dicht über dem Erdboden wegschneiden

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mähen vs man
40% similar
mähen vs men
60% similar
mähen vs Mann
20% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mähen
PropertyValue
Headwordmähen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈmɛːən]
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,426
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mähen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). mähen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for mähen is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈmɛːən]. Corpus data places it at rank #27,426 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for mähen, with forms such as "mhäen", "mmähen", and "mäehn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "man", "men", "Mann", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct German form is mähen, spelled M-Ä-H-E-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    mit der Sense, Sichel, mit einer Mähmaschine Pflanzen bis zum Ansatz dicht über dem Erdboden wegschneiden
  2. 2
    ein Feld oder eine Rasenfläche durch das unter [1] beschriebene Wegschneiden von schnittreifem Getreide, Gras, Ölfrüchten oder dergleichen befreien

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mhäen,mmähen,mäehn,mähenn,mähhen,ämhen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mähen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "mähen"

mhäen2mmähen1mäehn2mähenn1mähhen1ämhen2
Edit distance from "mähen"

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.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “mähen, German word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/de/wort/mahen

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mähen"?
"mähen" is spelled M-Ä-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈmɛːən].
What does "mähen" mean?
As a verb, "mähen" means: mit der Sense, Sichel, mit einer Mähmaschine Pflanzen bis zum Ansatz dicht über dem Erdboden wegschneiden
What words are commonly confused with "mähen"?
"mähen" is commonly confused with "man", "men", "Mann". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mähen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mähen" is [ˈmɛːən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mähen" come from?
"mähen" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “mähen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is M-Ä-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈmɛːən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “man” - see the side-by-side comparison. mähen vs man
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Nearby German words

Other entries that begin with the letter M in our German index:

Explore PlainSpell

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list