Which to use
“nei” is a verb and “nic” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,309
- “nei” frequency rank
- #33,733
- “nic” frequency rank
- 72042
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nei | nic |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | verneinen, negieren, abstreiten | nichts |
Letter map: nei vs nic
Shared letters muted; letters that set nei and nic apart highlighted. Shared run: 2. nei (CVV) and nic (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Part-of-speech tell for nei / nic
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: nei is averb and nicapronoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72042, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nei is recorded at frequency rank #38,309, classified as averb, pronounced […]. nic is at rank #33,733, tagged as apron, pronounced [ɲit͡s].
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 72042, this pair ranks #399,498 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of nei vs nic
Shared letters: in. Private to "nei": e. Private to "nic": c.
"nei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nic" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nei" for "nic" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nei" or "nic"?
After this comparison
You've compared "nei" and "nic". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "nei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nic" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #399,498 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nei" and "nic" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nei vs puzzles". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #399,498 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.