nachlesenvsnachsehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“nachlesen” and “nachsehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,422
“nachlesen” frequency rank
#14,370
“nachsehen” frequency rank
23792
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nachlesen nachsehen
Definition (noch einmal) (genau und sorgfältig) lesen; sich aus einem Text Information beschaffen nach Information suchen, eine Recherche durchführen, etwas verifizieren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nachlesen and nachsehen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
nachlesen
9 ch
nachsehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nachlesen ([ˈnaːxˌleːzn̩]) and nachsehen ([ˈnaːxˌzeːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nachlesen is recorded at frequency rank #9,422, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌleːzn̩]. nachsehen is at rank #14,370, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌzeːən].

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 23792, this pair ranks #1,856,543 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nachlesen vs nachsehen

Shared letters: acehns. Private to "nachlesen": l. Private to "nachsehen": -.

"nachlesen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC  ·  "nachsehen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nachlesenanchlesen · nacchlesen · nachelsen · nachhlesen · nachleesn · nachlesenn · nachlesne · nachlessen
  • nachsehenanchsehen · nacchsehen · nacheshen · nachhsehen · nachseehn · nachsehenn · nachsehhen · nachsehne

Frequency comparison

nachlesen#9,422
nachsehen#14,370

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nachlesen" and "nachsehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnaːxˌleːzn̩] versus [ˈnaːxˌzeːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nachlesen" or "nachsehen"?
"nachlesen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,422 in our German list, against #14,370 for "nachsehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nachlesen vs nachsehen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nachlesen” 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