Which to use
“Neffe” and “Neffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,717
- “Neffe” frequency rank
- #12,765
- “Neffen” frequency rank
- 24482
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Neffe | Neffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sohn der Schwester oder des Bruders , im weiteren Sinne auch des Schwagers oder der Schwägerin | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Neffe |
Where the eye mixes Neffe and Neffen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Neffe runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against Neffen's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Neffe with Neffen
A purely visual mix-up. Neffe ([ˈnɛfə]) and Neffen ([ˈnɛfn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Neffe” sits inside “Neffen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24482, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Neffe is recorded at frequency rank #11,717, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛfə]. Neffen is at rank #12,765, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛfn̩].
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 24482, this pair ranks #1,846,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Neffe vs Neffen
Shared letters: efn. Private to "Neffe": -. Private to "Neffen": -.
"Neffe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Neffen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Neffe" and "Neffen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Neffe" or "Neffen"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Neffe" and "Neffen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Neffe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Neffen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,846,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Neffe" and "Neffen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Neffe 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 #1,846,974 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.