*> die Maedchen (Mädchen), but is actually das (neuter) due to the -chen Yes, that's true. Roughly speaking, little and cute means neuter. [1] To confuse you

*> die Maedchen (Mädchen), but is actually das (neuter) due to the -chen Yes, that's true. Roughly speaking, little and cute means neuter. [1] To confuse you even more, however, note that "die Mädchen" is still correct, but for an entirely different reason: It means plural! ("the girls"), because it happens that the plural of "Mädchen" is the same word "Mädchen", and that the plural neuter noun marker "die" is exactly the same as the sigular female noun marker "die". (Moreover, also the male and female plural noun marker is "die".) [1] Now that I think more if it, that's quite progressive in terms of gender-equal language and early childhood. (But many other aspects of the German language aren't, so don't expect too much here.)