Which to use
“neigen” is a verb and “nein” is a particle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,766
- “neigen” frequency rank
- #281
- “nein” frequency rank
- 13047
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | neigen | nein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Schräglage geraten; schräg werden | Partikel, die Ablehnung, Verneinung, Negation, Widerspruch bekundet, gewöhnlich auf eine Frage |
Where the eye mixes neigen and nein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. neigen runs 6 letters (CVVCVC) against nein's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses neigen with nein
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: neigen is [ˈnaɪ̯ɡn̩] while nein is [naɪ̯n]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs particle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
neigen is recorded at frequency rank #12,766, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnaɪ̯ɡn̩]. nein is at rank #281, tagged as aparticle, pronounced [naɪ̯n].
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 13047, this pair ranks #1,960,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of neigen vs nein
Shared letters: ein. Private to "neigen": g. Private to "nein": -.
"neigen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "nein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "neigen" for "nein" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "neigen" or "nein" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "neigen" and "nein" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "neigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nein" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,960,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "neigen" and "nein" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs neigen". 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 #1,960,448 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.