Which to use
“nahe” is an adjective and “Name” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,064
- “nahe” frequency rank
- #638
- “Name” frequency rank
- 1702
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nahe | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | räumlich nahe, wenig entfernt | eine eingliedrige oder mehrgliedrige, aus einem oder mehreren Worten bestehende Bezeichnung, eine zugeordnete Information, die der Identifizierung und Individualisierung dient, ein Eigenname für |
Where the eye mixes nahe and Name
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses nahe with Name
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nahe is [ˈnaːə] while Name is [ˈnaːmə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - h in “nahe” becomes m in “Name”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1702, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nahe is recorded at frequency rank #1,064, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnaːə]. Name is at rank #638, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːmə].
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 1702, this pair ranks #2,003,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nahe vs Name
Shared letters: aen. Private to "nahe": h. Private to "Name": m.
"nahe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "Name" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nahe" and "Name" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "nahe" or "Name" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nahe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Name" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,003,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nahe" and "Name" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs nahe". 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 #2,003,878 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.