nährenvsNähteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nähren is a verb, Nähte is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nähren” is a verb and “Nähte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,361
“nähren” frequency rank
#27,876
“Nähte” frequency rank
63237
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nähren Nähte
Definition etwas wachsen und mehr oder bedeutender werden lassen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Naht

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
nähren
5 ch
Nähte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nähren is [ˈnɛːʁən] while Nähte is [ˈnɛːtə]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63237, 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]. Nähte is at rank #27,876, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛːtə].

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 63237, this pair ranks #683,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nähren vs Nähte

Shared letters: ehnä. Private to "nähren": r. Private to "Nähte": t.

"nähren" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Nähte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

nähren#35,361
Nähte#27,876

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nähren" and "Nähte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nähren" is a verb and "Nähte" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nähren" or "Nähte"?
"Nähte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,876 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 Nähte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “nähren”; for a noun, it's “Nähte”.
  • 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