NasevsnassesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Nase is a noun, nasses is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Nase” is a noun and “nasses” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,981
“Nase” frequency rank
#49,113
“nasses” frequency rank
51094
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Nase nasses
Definition ein Geruchs- und Atmungsorgan in der Mitte des Gesichts Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nass

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Nase
6 ch
nasses

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Nase is [ˈnaːzə] while nasses is [ˈnasəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51094, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Nase is recorded at frequency rank #1,981, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnaːzə]. nasses is at rank #49,113, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnasəs].

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 51094, this pair ranks #1,148,718 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Nase vs nasses

Shared letters: aens. Private to "Nase": -. Private to "nasses": -.

"Nase" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "nasses" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Naseanse · naes · nasse · nnase · nsae
  • nassesansses · nases · nasess · nassess · nassse · naßes · nnasses · nsases

Frequency comparison

Nase#1,981
nasses#49,113

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Nase" and "nasses" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Nase" is a noun and "nasses" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Nase" or "nasses"?
"Nase" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,981 in our German list, against #49,113 for "nasses". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Nase vs nasses

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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