Which to use
“nas” is a noun and “nei” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,447
- “nas” frequency rank
- #38,309
- “nei” frequency rank
- 60756
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nas | nei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nase | verneinen, negieren, abstreiten |
Letter map: nas vs nei
Shared letters muted; letters that set nas and nei apart highlighted. Shared run: 1. nas (CVC) and nei (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Role in the sentence - nas and nei
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: nas is anoun and neiaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60756, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nas is recorded at frequency rank #22,447, classified as anoun, pronounced [nas]. nei is at rank #38,309, tagged as averb, pronounced […].
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 60756, this pair ranks #775,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nas vs nei
Shared letters: n. Private to "nas": as. Private to "nei": ei.
"nas" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nas" for "nei" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "nas" or "nei" show up more?
After this comparison
Pair "nas" vs "nei" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "nas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #775,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nas" and "nei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nei vs puzzles". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #775,189 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.