Which to use
“nei” is a verb and “nm” is an abbrev - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,309
- “nei” frequency rank
- #11,940
- “nm” frequency rank
- 50249
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nei | nm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | verneinen, negieren, abstreiten | Einheitensymbol für Nanometer. 1 nm = 10⁻⁹ m. |
Letter map: nei vs nm
Shared letters muted; letters that set nei and nm apart highlighted. Shared run: 1. nei runs 3 letters (CVV) against nm's 2 (CC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Role in the sentence - nei and nm
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: nei is averb and nmanabbrev. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nei is recorded at frequency rank #38,309, classified as averb, pronounced […]. nm is at rank #11,940, tagged as anabbrev.
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 50249, this pair ranks #1,180,891 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nei vs nm
Shared letters: n. Private to "nei": ei. Private to "nm": m.
"nei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nm" · 2 letters · shape CC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nei" for "nm" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nei" or "nm"?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "nei" and "nm".
- Full dictionary entry for "nei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,180,891 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nei" and "nm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nei vs puzzles". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,180,891 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.