Which to use
“nach” is a preposition and “nahe” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35
- “nach” frequency rank
- #1,064
- “nahe” frequency rank
- 1099
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nach | nahe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Richtung (mit Dativ oder adverbialer Bestimmung des Ortes) | räumlich nahe, wenig entfernt |
Where the eye mixes nach and nahe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nach is [naːx] while nahe is [ˈnaːə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1099, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nach is recorded at frequency rank #35, classified as aprep, pronounced [naːx]. nahe is at rank #1,064, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnaːə].
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 1099, this pair ranks #2,004,901 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nach vs nahe
Shared letters: ahn. Private to "nach": c. Private to "nahe": e.
"nach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "nahe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nach" and "nahe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nach" or "nahe"?
What to do next
You've compared "nach" and "nahe". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "nach" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nahe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,004,901 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nach" and "nahe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs nahe". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.