Which to use
“näher” is an unknown and “Nähten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,564
- “näher” frequency rank
- #34,834
- “Nähten” frequency rank
- 36398
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | näher | Nähten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Komparativ von nah | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Naht |
Where the eye mixes näher and Nähten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. näher 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.
Visual trap between näher and Nähten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: näher is [ˈnɛːɐ] 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 (unknown vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36398, 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]. 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 36398, this pair ranks #1,616,621 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of näher vs Nähten
Shared letters: ehnä. Private to "näher": r. Private to "Nähten": t.
"näher" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Nähten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "näher" and "Nähten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "näher" vs "Nähten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "Nähten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,616,621 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "näher" and "Nähten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs Nähten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,616,621 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.