nähenvsnamesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,452
“nähen” frequency rank
#36,515
“names” frequency rank
49967
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nähen names
Definition Textilteile mit einem Faden verbinden 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs name

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nähen and names apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
nähen
5 ch
names

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nähen ([ˈnɛːən]) and names ([neɪmz]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49967, 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]. names is at rank #36,515, tagged as averb, pronounced [neɪmz].

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 49967, this pair ranks #1,191,643 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nähen vs names

Shared letters: en. Private to "nähen": . Private to "names": ams.

"nähen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "names" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • namesanmes · naems · namess · nammes · namse · nmaes · nnames

Frequency comparison

nähen#13,452
names#36,515

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nähen" and "names" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛːən] versus [neɪmz]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nähen" or "names"?
"nähen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,452 in our German list, against #36,515 for "names". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nähen vs names

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