NachkommenvsnachzukommenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Nachkommen is a noun, nachzukommen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Nachkommen” is a noun and “nachzukommen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,569
“Nachkommen” frequency rank
#27,429
“nachzukommen” frequency rank
33998
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Nachkommen nachzukommen
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Nachkomme erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs nachkommen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Nachkommen and nachzukommen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
Nachkommen
12 ch
nachzukommen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Nachkommen and nachzukommen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Nachkommen is recorded at frequency rank #6,569, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌkɔmən]. nachzukommen is at rank #27,429, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːxt͡suˌkɔmən].

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 33998, this pair ranks #1,673,342 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

Nachkommen#6,569
nachzukommen#27,429

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Nachkommen" and "nachzukommen" be used interchangeably?
No, "Nachkommen" and "nachzukommen" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering Nachkommen vs nachzukommen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Nachkommen”; for a verb, it's “nachzukommen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Nachkommen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list