Which to use
“neben” is a preposition and “nee” is a particle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #314
- “neben” frequency rank
- #3,609
- “nee” frequency rank
- 3923
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | neben | nee |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | räumlich angrenzend, in unmittelbarer Nähe | nein |
Where the eye mixes neben and nee
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: neben vs nee
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: neben is [ˈneːbn̩] while nee is [neː]. 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 (preposition vs particle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3923, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
neben is recorded at frequency rank #314, classified as aprep, pronounced [ˈneːbn̩]. nee is at rank #3,609, tagged as aparticle, pronounced [neː].
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 3923, this pair ranks #1,999,016 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of neben vs nee
Shared letters: en. Private to "neben": b. Private to "nee": -.
"neben" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "nee" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- neben ← enben · nbeen · nebben · nebenn · nebne · neebn · nneben
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "neben" for "nee" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "neben" or "nee" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "neben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nee" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,999,016 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "neben" and "nee" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nee vs nerve". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,999,016 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.