Which to use
“nach” is a preposition and “nächst” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35
- “nach” frequency rank
- #28,782
- “nächst” frequency rank
- 28817
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nach | nächst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Richtung (mit Dativ oder adverbialer Bestimmung des Ortes) | in einer Reihenfolge nach dem aktuellen folgend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nach and nächst apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nach is [naːx] while nächst is [nɛːçst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nach is recorded at frequency rank #35, classified as aprep, pronounced [naːx]. nächst is at rank #28,782, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nɛːçst].
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 28817, this pair ranks #1,778,066 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nach vs nächst
Shared letters: chn. Private to "nach": a. Private to "nächst": stä.
"nach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "nächst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nach ← anch · nacch · nachh · nahc · ncah · nnach
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nach" and "nächst" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nach" or "nächst"?
Remembering nach vs nächst
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “nach”; for an adjective, it's “nächst”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nach” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable