NächtenvsNähtenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#17,664
“Nächten” frequency rank
#34,834
“Nähten” frequency rank
52498
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Nächten Nähten
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Nacht Dativ Plural des Substantivs Naht

Where the eye mixes Nächten and Nähten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Nächten runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against Nähten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Nächten
6 ch
Nähten

Look-alike desk: Nächten vs Nähten

A purely visual mix-up. Nächten ([ˈnɛçtn̩]) and Nähten ([ˈnɛːtn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52498, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Nächten is recorded at frequency rank #17,664, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛçtn̩]. Nähten is at rank #34,834, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛːtn̩].

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 52498, this pair ranks #1,094,385 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Nächten vs Nähten

Shared letters: ehntä. Private to "Nächten": c. Private to "Nähten": -.

"Nächten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Nähten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Nächten" and "Nähten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛçtn̩] versus [ˈnɛːtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Nächten" vs "Nähten" - which ranks higher?
"Nächten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,664 in our German list, against #34,834 for "Nähten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Nächten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Nähten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,094,385 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Nächten" and "Nähten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs Nähten". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,094,385 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list