Which to use
“nächstes” is an adjective and “nachts” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,033
- “nächstes” frequency rank
- #2,165
- “nachts” frequency rank
- 4198
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nächstes | nachts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Neutrum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs nah / nahe | Zeitangabe: In der Nacht, während der Nacht |
Where the eye mixes nächstes and nachts
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. nächstes runs 8 letters (CVCCCCVC) against nachts's 6 (CVCCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses nächstes with nachts
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nächstes is [ˈnɛːçstəs] while nachts is [naxt͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4198, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nächstes is recorded at frequency rank #2,033, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstəs]. nachts is at rank #2,165, tagged as anadv, pronounced [naxt͡s].
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 4198, this pair ranks #1,998,328 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nächstes vs nachts
Shared letters: chnst. Private to "nächstes": eä. Private to "nachts": a.
"nächstes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC · "nachts" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nachts ← anchts · nacchts · nachhts · nachst · nachtss · nachtts · nacths · nahcts
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nächstes" for "nachts" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nächstes" or "nachts"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nächstes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nachts" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,998,328 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nächstes" and "nachts" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nächstem vs nächstes". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,998,328 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.