nähenvsNähteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nähen is a verb, Nähte is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nähen” is a verb and “Nähte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,452
“nähen” frequency rank
#27,876
“Nähte” frequency rank
41328
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nähen Nähte
Definition Textilteile mit einem Faden verbinden Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Naht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nähen and Nähte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
nähen
5 ch
Nähte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nähen is [ˈnɛːən] while Nähte is [ˈnɛːtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41328, 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]. Nähte is at rank #27,876, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛːtə].

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 41328, this pair ranks #1,482,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nähen vs Nähte

Shared letters: ehnä. Private to "nähen": -. Private to "Nähte": t.

"nähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Nähte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

nähen#13,452
Nähte#27,876

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nähen" and "Nähte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nähen" is a verb and "Nähte" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nähen" or "Nähte"?
"nähen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,452 in our German list, against #27,876 for "Nähte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nähen vs Nähte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “nähen”; for a noun, it's “Nähte”.
  • 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