nachdemvsnachherWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nachdem is a conjunction, nachher is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nachdem” is a conjunction and “nachher” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#421
“nachdem” frequency rank
#3,269
“nachher” frequency rank
3690
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nachdem nachher
Definition zu einem späteren (als) zu einem in der Zukunft liegenden Zeitpunkt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nachdem and nachher apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
nachdem
7 ch
nachher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nachdem is [naːxˈdeːm] while nachher is [ˈnaːxheːɐ̯]. 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 (conjunction vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3690, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nachdem is recorded at frequency rank #421, classified as aconj, pronounced [naːxˈdeːm]. nachher is at rank #3,269, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈnaːxheːɐ̯].

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 3690, this pair ranks #1,999,624 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nachdem vs nachher

Shared letters: acehn. Private to "nachdem": dm. Private to "nachher": r.

"nachdem" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "nachher" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nachdemanchdem · nacchdem · nacdhem · nachddem · nachdemm · nachdme · nachedm · nachhdem
  • nachheranchher · nacchher · nachehr · nacher · nachherr · nachhre · nahcher · ncahher

Frequency comparison

nachdem#421
nachher#3,269

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nachdem" and "nachher" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nachdem" is a conjunction and "nachher" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nachdem" or "nachher"?
"nachdem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #421 in our German list, against #3,269 for "nachher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nachdem vs nachher

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a conjunction, it's “nachdem”; for an adverb, it's “nachher”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nachdem” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list