Which to use
“nachahmen” is a verb and “Nachahmung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,812
- “nachahmen” frequency rank
- #33,726
- “Nachahmung” frequency rank
- 78538
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nachahmen | Nachahmung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas möglichst originalgetreu nachmachen; die Eigenart, das Verhalten von jemandem / etwas imitieren | das Nachahmen, Imitieren, Kopieren eines Gegenstandes, einer Person oder Verhaltensweise |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nachahmen and Nachahmung apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: nachahmen is [ˈnaːxˌʔaːmən] while Nachahmung is [ˈnaːxˌʔaːmʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78538, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nachahmen is recorded at frequency rank #44,812, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌʔaːmən]. Nachahmung is at rank #33,726, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌʔaːmʊŋ].
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 78538, this pair ranks #236,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of nachahmen vs Nachahmung
Shared letters: achmn. Private to "nachahmen": e. Private to "Nachahmung": gu.
"nachahmen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "Nachahmung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nachahmen ← anchahmen · nacahhmen · nacchahmen · nachahemn · nachahhmen · nachahmenn · nachahmmen · nachahmne
- Nachahmung ← anchahmung · nacahhmung · nacchahmung · nachahhmung · nachahmmung · nachahmnug · nachahmugn · nachahmungg
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nachahmen" and "Nachahmung" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nachahmen" or "Nachahmung"?
Remembering nachahmen vs Nachahmung
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “nachahmen”; for a noun, it's “Nachahmung”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nachahmen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable