Which to use
“nageln” is a verb and “Nasen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,874
- “nageln” frequency rank
- #15,167
- “Nasen” frequency rank
- 62041
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nageln | Nasen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Nagel in etwas eintreiben, einhämmern | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Nase |
Where the eye mixes nageln and Nasen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. nageln runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against Nasen's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: nageln vs Nasen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nageln is [ˈnaːɡl̩n] while Nasen is [ˈnaːzn̩]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62041, 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]. Nasen is at rank #15,167, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːzn̩].
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 62041, this pair ranks #727,353 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nageln vs Nasen
Shared letters: aen. Private to "nageln": gl. Private to "Nasen": s.
"nageln" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "Nasen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nageln" for "Nasen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "nageln" or "Nasen" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nageln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Nasen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #727,353 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nageln" and "Nasen" 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 #727,353 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.