nee vs nut, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“nee” is a particle and “nut” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,609
“nee” frequency rank: #36,531
“nut” frequency rank: 40140
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	nee	nut
Definition	nein	2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs nuten

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch

nee

3 ch

nut

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nee is [neː] while nut is [nuːt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (particle vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nee is recorded at frequency rank #3,609, classified as aparticle, pronounced [neː]. nut is at rank #36,531, tagged as averb, pronounced [nuːt].

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 40140, this pair ranks #1,516,991 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nee vs nut

Shared letters: n. Private to "nee": e. Private to "nut": tu.

"nee" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nut" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

nee#3,609

nut#36,531

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nee" and "nut" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nee" is a particle and "nut" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "nee" or "nut"?

"nee" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,609 in our German list, against #36,531 for "nut". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering nee vs nut

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a particle, it's “nee”; for a verb, it's “nut”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nee” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable