Which to use
“nel” is a preposition and “null” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,183
- “nel” frequency rank
- #2,314
- “null” frequency rank
- 34497
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nel | null |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Verschmelzung der Präposition in mit dem bestimmten Artikel il | überhaupt kein, überhaupt keine |
Where the eye mixes nel and null
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses nel with null
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nel is [nel] while null is [nʊl]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34497, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nel is recorded at frequency rank #32,183, classified as aprep, pronounced [nel]. null is at rank #2,314, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nʊl].
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 34497, this pair ranks #1,662,043 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nel vs null
Shared letters: ln. Private to "nel": e. Private to "null": u.
"nel" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "null" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- null ← nlul · nnull · nul · unll
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nel" for "null" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "nel" or "null" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "null" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,662,043 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nel" and "null" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nel vs nox". 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 #1,662,043 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.