nährenvsnährtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#35,361
“nähren” frequency rank
#34,288
“nährt” frequency rank
69649
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nähren nährt
Definition etwas wachsen und mehr oder bedeutender werden lassen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs nähren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nähren and nährt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
nähren
5 ch
nährt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nähren ([ˈnɛːʁən]) and nährt ([nɛːɐ̯t]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69649, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nähren is recorded at frequency rank #35,361, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛːʁən]. nährt is at rank #34,288, tagged as averb, pronounced [nɛːɐ̯t].

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 69649, this pair ranks #470,130 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of nähren vs nährt

Shared letters: hnrä. Private to "nähren": e. Private to "nährt": t.

"nähren" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "nährt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Frequency comparison

nähren#35,361
nährt#34,288

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nähren" and "nährt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnɛːʁən] versus [nɛːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nähren" or "nährt"?
"nährt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,288 in our German list, against #35,361 for "nähren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nähren vs nährt

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 “nähren” 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