nächstevsNächteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nächste is a adjective, Nächte is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nächste” is an adjective and “Nächte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#721
“nächste” frequency rank
#6,335
“Nächte” frequency rank
7056
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nächste Nächte
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs nah / nahe Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Nacht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nächste and Nächte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
nächste
6 ch
Nächte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nächste is [ˈnɛːçstə] while Nächte is [ˈnɛçtə]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7056, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nächste is recorded at frequency rank #721, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstə]. Nächte is at rank #6,335, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛçtə].

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 7056, this pair ranks #1,989,535 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nächste vs Nächte

Shared letters: cehntä. Private to "nächste": s. Private to "Nächte": -.

"nächste" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV  ·  "Nächte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Frequency comparison

nächste#721
Nächte#6,335

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nächste" and "Nächte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nächste" is an adjective and "Nächte" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nächste" or "Nächte"?
"nächste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #721 in our German list, against #6,335 for "Nächte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nächste vs Nächte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “nächste”; for a noun, it's “Nächte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nächste” 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