Which to use
“nel” is a preposition and “nun” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,183
- “nel” frequency rank
- #130
- “nun” frequency rank
- 32313
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nel | nun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Verschmelzung der Präposition in mit dem bestimmten Artikel il | zu diesem Zeitpunkt, zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt, in dem Moment |
Where the eye mixes nel and nun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: nel vs nun
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nel is [nel] while nun is [nuːn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32313, 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]. nun is at rank #130, tagged as anadv, pronounced [nuːn].
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 32313, this pair ranks #1,710,289 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nel vs nun
Shared letters: n. Private to "nel": el. Private to "nun": u.
"nel" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nel" for "nun" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nel" or "nun"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,710,289 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nel" and "nun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nel vs nox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,710,289 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.