Which to use
“näherten” and “nähren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,368
- “näherten” frequency rank
- #35,361
- “nähren” frequency rank
- 76729
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | näherten | nähren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs nähern | etwas wachsen und mehr oder bedeutender werden lassen |
Where the eye mixes näherten and nähren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. näherten runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against nähren's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between näherten and nähren
A purely visual mix-up. näherten ([ˈnɛːɐtn̩]) and nähren ([ˈnɛːʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76729, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
näherten is recorded at frequency rank #41,368, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛːɐtn̩]. nähren is at rank #35,361, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛːʁən].
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 76729, this pair ranks #277,075 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of näherten vs nähren
Shared letters: ehnrä. Private to "näherten": t. Private to "nähren": -.
"näherten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "nähren" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "näherten" and "nähren" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "näherten" vs "nähren" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "näherten" and "nähren" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "näherten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nähren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,075 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "näherten" and "nähren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs nähren". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #277,075 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.