Which to use
“nageln” and “nähen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,874
- “nageln” frequency rank
- #13,452
- “nähen” frequency rank
- 60326
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nageln | nähen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Nagel in etwas eintreiben, einhämmern | Textilteile mit einem Faden verbinden |
Where the eye mixes nageln and nähen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. nageln runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against nähen's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses nageln with nähen
A purely visual mix-up. nageln ([ˈnaːɡl̩n]) and nähen ([ˈnɛːən]) 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 60326, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nageln is recorded at frequency rank #46,874, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnaːɡl̩n]. nähen is at rank #13,452, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛːən].
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 60326, this pair ranks #791,188 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nageln vs nähen
Shared letters: en. Private to "nageln": agl. Private to "nähen": hä.
"nageln" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "nähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nageln ← naegln · nagelln · nagelnn · nagenl · naggeln · naglen · ngaeln · nnageln
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nageln" and "nähen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "nageln" vs "nähen" - 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 "nageln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nähen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #791,188 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nageln" and "nähen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nageln vs nagen". 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 #791,188 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.