Which to use
“Neffe” is a noun and “neige” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,717
- “Neffe” frequency rank
- #23,249
- “neige” frequency rank
- 34966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Neffe | neige |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sohn der Schwester oder des Bruders , im weiteren Sinne auch des Schwagers oder der Schwägerin | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs neigen |
Where the eye mixes Neffe and neige
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Neffe (CVCCV) and neige (CVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Neffe and neige
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Neffe is [ˈnɛfə] while neige is [ˈnaɪ̯ɡə]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34966, 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]. neige is at rank #23,249, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnaɪ̯ɡə].
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 34966, this pair ranks #1,651,193 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Neffe vs neige
Shared letters: en. Private to "Neffe": f. Private to "neige": gi.
"Neffe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "neige" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Neffe" and "neige" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Neffe" or "neige"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Neffe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "neige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,651,193 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Neffe" and "neige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "neige 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 #1,651,193 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.