NächtenvsNichteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#17,664
“Nächten” frequency rank
#12,354
“Nichte” frequency rank
30018
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Nächten Nichte
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Nacht Tochter der Schwester oder des Bruders , im weiteren Sinne auch des Schwagers oder der Schwägerin

Where the eye mixes Nächten and Nichte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Nächten runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against Nichte's 6 (CVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Nächten
6 ch
Nichte

Why the eye confuses Nächten with Nichte

A purely visual mix-up. Nächten ([ˈnɛçtn̩]) and Nichte ([ˈnɪçtə]) 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 30018, 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]. Nichte is at rank #12,354, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɪçtə].

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 30018, this pair ranks #1,755,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Nächten vs Nichte

Shared letters: cehnt. Private to "Nächten": ä. Private to "Nichte": i.

"Nächten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Nichte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Nichte ← inchte · ncihte · nicchte · nichet · nichhte · nichtte · nicthe · nihcte

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Nächten" and "Nichte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛçtn̩] versus [ˈnɪçtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Nächten" vs "Nichte" - which ranks higher?
"Nichte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,354 in our German list, against #17,664 for "Nächten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Nächten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Nichte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,755,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Nächten" and "Nichte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nächstem vs Nächten". 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 #1,755,945 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