nehmevsnehmenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“nehme” and “nehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,674
“nehme” frequency rank
#323
“nehmen” frequency rank
1997
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nehme nehmen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs nehmen eine Sache greifen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nehme and nehmen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
nehme
6 ch
nehmen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nehme ([ˈneːmə]) and nehmen ([ˈneːmən]) 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) - “nehme” sits inside “nehmen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nehme is recorded at frequency rank #1,674, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈneːmə]. nehmen is at rank #323, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈneːmən].

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 1997, this pair ranks #2,003,304 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nehme vs nehmen

Shared letters: ehmn. Private to "nehme": -. Private to "nehmen": -.

"nehme" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "nehmen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nehmeenhme · nehem · nehhme · nehmme · nemhe · nheme · nnehme
  • nehmenenhmen · nehemn · nehhmen · nehmenn · nehmmen · nehmne · nemhen · nhemen

Frequency comparison

nehme#1,674
nehmen#323

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nehme" and "nehmen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈneːmə] versus [ˈneːmən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nehme" or "nehmen"?
"nehmen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #323 in our German list, against #1,674 for "nehme". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nehme vs nehmen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nehme” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list