nähenvsnähernWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,452
“nähen” frequency rank
#10,146
“nähern” frequency rank
23598
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nähen nähern
Definition Textilteile mit einem Faden verbinden sich an etwas heranbewegen, näher herankommen an etwas

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nähen and nähern apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
nähen
6 ch
nähern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nähen ([ˈnɛːən]) and nähern ([ˈnɛːɐn]) 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 23598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nähen is recorded at frequency rank #13,452, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛːən]. nähern is at rank #10,146, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛːɐn].

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 23598, this pair ranks #1,859,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nähen vs nähern

Shared letters: ehnä. Private to "nähen": -. Private to "nähern": r.

"nähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "nähern" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Frequency comparison

nähen#13,452
nähern#10,146

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nähen" and "nähern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛːən] versus [ˈnɛːɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nähen" or "nähern"?
"nähern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,146 in our German list, against #13,452 for "nähen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nähen vs nähern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nähen” 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