malen

[ˈmaːlən]

/[ˈmaːlən]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“malen” has 7 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #5,735. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,735
frequency rank, German
3,571
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - mit Farbe bestreichen, anstreichen; mit Farbe bunt verzieren

Corpus desk

Index DE-malen · malen · German

malen · rank #5,735 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,735
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,571
  • PHOTO-FINISH Luther

Nearest frequency peer: Luther (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “malen”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “malen” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

malen vs man
60% similar
malen vs men
60% similar
malen vs Mann
40% similar

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

Key facts for malen
PropertyValue
Headwordmalen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈmaːlən]
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,735
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “malen” 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). malen lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around malen (IPA [ˈmaːlən]), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,735 among 3,571 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for malen, with forms such as "amlen", "maeln", and "malenn". 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, 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 explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is malen, spelled M-A-L-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    mit Farbe bestreichen, anstreichen; mit Farbe bunt verzieren
  2. 2
    schminken
  3. 3
    mit Pinsel und Farbe Gegenständliches auf einer Fläche erschaffen, welches sich zumeist als Bild darstellt
  4. 4
    mit langsamen, behutsamen Federdruck kolorierend oder kalligraphierend schreiben
  5. 5
    sich widerspiegeln
  6. 6
    lebendig darstellen, ausführlich schildern

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how malen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Nachdem die Fassade und das gesamte Interieur des Altbaus von Grund auf neu gemalt wurden, sieht das Gebäude nun viel ansehnlicher und bewohnbarer aus.
  2. (bildlich) Der Herbst malt die Wälder bunt.

Synonyms

anstreichenausstreichenbestreichenstreichenschminkenRougeSchminkeauflegenauftragenumgangssprachlichanschmierenpinselnklecksenschmierenkolorierenkalligraphierenpinselnschönschreibenschnörkelnleuchtenstrahlenabbildenausmalenbeschreiben

Antonyms

grundierenillustrierenradierenschraffierenskizzierenstrichelnstrichlierentuschenzeichnenkrakelnkritzelnklierenschmarkelnschmergelnschmierenschmotzensudelnfuzeln

This word in other languages

paint(English)pintar(Español)peinturer(Français)pintar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amlen
  • maeln
  • malenn
  • mallen
  • malne
  • mlaen
  • mmalen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of malen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amlen2maeln2malenn1mallen1malne2mlaen2mmalen1
Edit distance from "malen"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "malen"?
"malen" is spelled M-A-L-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈmaːlən].
What does "malen" mean?
As a verb, "malen" means: mit Farbe bestreichen, anstreichen; mit Farbe bunt verzieren
What words are commonly confused with "malen"?
"malen" 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 "malen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "malen" is [ˈmaːlən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "malen" come from?
"malen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "malen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Klick#5,726Hartz#5,719frühe#5,707Ethik#5,705

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Europe7 variantsStaub7 variantsTruppe7 variantsComic7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "malen". Here's where to go from here.

  • "malen" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "man". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,735 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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