Which to use
“näher” is an unknown and “nahezu” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,564
- “näher” frequency rank
- #2,212
- “nahezu” frequency rank
- 3776
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | näher | nahezu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Komparativ von nah | nicht ganz, aber fast vollständig |
Where the eye mixes näher and nahezu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses näher with nahezu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: näher is [ˈnɛːɐ] while nahezu is [ˈnaːəˈt͡suː]. 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 (unknown vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3776, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
näher is recorded at frequency rank #1,564, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˈnɛːɐ]. nahezu is at rank #2,212, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈnaːəˈt͡suː].
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 3776, this pair ranks #1,999,397 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of näher vs nahezu
Shared letters: ehn. Private to "näher": rä. Private to "nahezu": auz.
"näher" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "nahezu" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- nahezu ← anhezu · naehzu · naheuz · nahezzu · nahhezu · nahzeu · nhaezu · nnahezu
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "näher" and "nahezu" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "näher" vs "nahezu" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "näher" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nahezu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,999,397 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "näher" and "nahezu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs näher". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,999,397 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.