nasvsneiWhat's the difference?

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

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

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nas and nei apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
nas
3 ch
nei

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

nas#22,447
nei#38,309

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nas" and "nei" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nas" is a noun and "nei" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nas" or "nei"?
"nas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,447 in our German list, against #38,309 for "nei". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nas vs nei

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “nas”; for a verb, it's “nei”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nas” 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