NBAvsneiConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#11,103
“NBA” frequency rank
#38,309
“nei” frequency rank
49412
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature NBA nei
Definition nordamerikanische Basketball-Profiliga; die mit großem Abstand stärkste und populärste Basketball-Liga der Welt verneinen, negieren, abstreiten

Letter map: NBA vs nei

Shared letters muted; letters that set NBA and nei apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.

3 ch
NBA
3 ch
nei

Grammar separator: NBA vs nei

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: NBA 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 49412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

NBA is recorded at frequency rank #11,103, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛnbiˈʔɛɪ̯]. 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 49412, this pair ranks #1,212,525 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of NBA vs nei

Shared letters: n. Private to "NBA": ab. Private to "nei": ei.

"NBA" · 3 letters · shape CCV  ·  "nei" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "NBA" for "nei" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "NBA" is a noun and "nei" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "NBA" vs "nei" - which ranks higher?
"NBA" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,103 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.

Useful next steps

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "NBA" and "nei".

  • Full dictionary entry for "NBA" 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 #1,212,525 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "NBA" and "nei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nei vs puzzles". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,212,525 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list