Which to use
“nel” is a preposition and “nur” is a particle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,183
- “nel” frequency rank
- #40
- “nur” frequency rank
- 32223
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nel | nur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Verschmelzung der Präposition in mit dem bestimmten Artikel il | generell: unterstreicht die Betonung oder Einschränkung der Satzteilaussage |
Where the eye mixes nel and nur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between nel and nur
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nel is [nel] while nur is [nuːɐ̯]. 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 particle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32223, 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]. nur is at rank #40, tagged as aparticle, pronounced [nuːɐ̯].
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 32223, this pair ranks #1,712,104 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nel vs nur
Shared letters: n. Private to "nel": el. Private to "nur": ru.
"nel" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nel" for "nur" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "nel" or "nur" show up more?
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 "nur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,712,104 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nel" and "nur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nel vs nox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,712,104 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.