nachtsvsnacktWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nachts is a adverb, nackt is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nachts” is an adverb and “nackt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,165
“nachts” frequency rank
#3,608
“nackt” frequency rank
5773
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nachts nackt
Definition Zeitangabe: In der Nacht, während der Nacht keine Bekleidung oder sonstige Bedeckung tragend; nicht bekleidet, nicht bedeckt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nachts and nackt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
nachts
5 ch
nackt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nachts is [naxt͡s] while nackt is [nakt]. 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 (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5773, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nachts is recorded at frequency rank #2,165, classified as anadv, pronounced [naxt͡s]. nackt is at rank #3,608, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nakt].

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 5773, this pair ranks #1,993,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nachts vs nackt

Shared letters: acnt. Private to "nachts": hs. Private to "nackt": k.

"nachts" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "nackt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nachtsanchts · nacchts · nachhts · nachst · nachtss · nachtts · nacths · nahcts
  • nacktanckt · nacckt · nackkt · nacktt · nactk · nakct · ncakt · nnackt

Frequency comparison

nachts#2,165
nackt#3,608

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nachts" and "nackt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nachts" is an adverb and "nackt" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nachts" or "nackt"?
"nachts" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,165 in our German list, against #3,608 for "nackt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nachts vs nackt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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