Which to use
“neben” is a preposition and “Nieren” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #314
- “neben” frequency rank
- #13,212
- “Nieren” frequency rank
- 13526
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | neben | Nieren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | räumlich angrenzend, in unmittelbarer Nähe | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Niere |
Where the eye mixes neben and Nieren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses neben with Nieren
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: neben is [ˈneːbn̩] while Nieren is [ˈniːʁən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13526, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
neben is recorded at frequency rank #314, classified as aprep, pronounced [ˈneːbn̩]. Nieren is at rank #13,212, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈniːʁən].
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 13526, this pair ranks #1,957,432 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of neben vs Nieren
Shared letters: en. Private to "neben": b. Private to "Nieren": ir.
"neben" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Nieren" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "neben" for "Nieren" ever safe?
Frequency check: "neben" vs "Nieren" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "Nieren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,957,432 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "neben" and "Nieren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nieren vs Nissen". 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 #1,957,432 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.