Which to use
“Nachteil” and “Nachteile” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,092
- “Nachteil” frequency rank
- #5,741
- “Nachteile” frequency rank
- 11833
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nachteil | Nachteile |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | negative oder unerwünschte Folge oder negativer Nebeneffekt, zum Beispiel einer Lösung, eines Vorgehens, einer Überlegung | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Nachteil |
Where the eye mixes Nachteil and Nachteile
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Nachteil runs 8 letters (CVCCCVVC) against Nachteile's 9 (CVCCCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Nachteil vs Nachteile
A purely visual mix-up. Nachteil ([ˈnaːxˌtaɪ̯l]) and Nachteile ([ˈnaːxtaɪ̯lə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Nachteil” sits inside “Nachteile”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11833, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Nachteil is recorded at frequency rank #6,092, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːxˌtaɪ̯l]. Nachteile is at rank #5,741, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːxtaɪ̯lə].
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 11833, this pair ranks #1,967,644 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Nachteil vs Nachteile
Shared letters: acehilnt. Private to "Nachteil": -. Private to "Nachteile": -.
"Nachteil" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC · "Nachteile" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Nachteil" for "Nachteile" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Nachteil" vs "Nachteile" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Nachteil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Nachteile" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,967,644 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nachteil" and "Nachteile" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nachteil vs Nachtzeit". 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 #1,967,644 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.