Which to use
“nei” is a verb and “nen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,309
- “nei” frequency rank
- #820
- “nen” frequency rank
- 39129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nei | nen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | verneinen, negieren, abstreiten | Geruchs- und Atmungsorgan in der Mitte des Gesichts; Nase |
Letter map: nei vs nen
Shared letters muted; letters that set nei and nen apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Grammar separator: nei vs nen
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: nei is averb and nenanoun. On the page they differ by a single letter - i in “nei” becomes n in “nen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nei is recorded at frequency rank #38,309, classified as averb, pronounced […]. nen is at rank #820, tagged as anoun, pronounced [nɛ̃].
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 39129, this pair ranks #1,545,320 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nei vs nen
Shared letters: en. Private to "nei": i. Private to "nen": -.
"nei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nen" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nei" and "nen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "nei" or "nen" show up more?
What to do next
Pair "nei" vs "nen" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "nei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,545,320 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nei" and "nen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nei vs puzzles". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,545,320 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.