Which to use
“nähen” is a verb and “Nähten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,452
- “nähen” frequency rank
- #34,834
- “Nähten” frequency rank
- 48286
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nähen | Nähten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Textilteile mit einem Faden verbinden | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Naht |
Where the eye mixes nähen and Nähten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. nähen runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against Nähten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses nähen with Nähten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nähen is [ˈnɛːən] while Nähten is [ˈnɛːtn̩]. 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 48286, 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]. Nähten is at rank #34,834, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛːtn̩].
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 48286, this pair ranks #1,254,143 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nähen vs Nähten
Shared letters: ehnä. Private to "nähen": -. Private to "Nähten": t.
"nähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Nähten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nähen" and "Nähten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "nähen" or "Nähten" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nähen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Nähten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,254,143 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nähen" and "Nähten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs Nähten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,254,143 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.