Which to use
“näher” is an unknown and “nahm” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,564
- “näher” frequency rank
- #936
- “nahm” frequency rank
- 2500
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | näher | nahm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Komparativ von nah | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs nehmen |
Where the eye mixes näher and nahm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: näher is [ˈnɛːɐ] while nahm is [naːm]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2500, 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]. nahm is at rank #936, tagged as averb, pronounced [naːm].
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 2500, this pair ranks #2,002,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of näher vs nahm
Shared letters: hn. Private to "näher": erä. Private to "nahm": am.
"näher" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "nahm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nahm ← anhm · nahhm · nahmm · namh · nham · nnahm
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "näher" and "nahm" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "näher" or "nahm"?
What to do next
You've compared "näher" and "nahm". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "näher" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nahm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,002,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "näher" and "nahm" 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.