nähenvsnährenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,452
“nähen” frequency rank
#35,361
“nähren” frequency rank
48813
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nähen nähren
Definition Textilteile mit einem Faden verbinden etwas wachsen und mehr oder bedeutender werden lassen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
nähen
6 ch
nähren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nähen ([ˈnɛːən]) and nähren ([ˈnɛːʁən]) 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 48813, 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]. nähren is at rank #35,361, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛːʁən].

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 48813, this pair ranks #1,234,696 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nähen vs nähren

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

"nähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "nähren" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Frequency comparison

nähen#13,452
nähren#35,361

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nähen" and "nähren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛːən] versus [ˈnɛːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nähen" or "nähren"?
"nähen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,452 in our German list, against #35,361 for "nähren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nähen vs nähren

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