Which to use
“Nerv” is a noun and “nerve” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,139
- “Nerv” frequency rank
- #48,351
- “nerve” frequency rank
- 60490
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nerv | nerve |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bündel aus Fortsätzen von Nervenzellen außerhalb des Zentralnervensystems | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs nerven |
Where the eye mixes Nerv and nerve
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Nerv with nerve
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Nerv is [nɛʁf] while nerve is [ˈnɛʁfə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Nerv” sits inside “nerve”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60490, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Nerv is recorded at frequency rank #12,139, classified as anoun, pronounced [nɛʁf]. nerve is at rank #48,351, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛʁfə].
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 60490, this pair ranks #785,053 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Nerv vs nerve
Shared letters: enrv. Private to "Nerv": -. Private to "nerve": -.
"Nerv" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "nerve" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Nerv" and "nerve" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Nerv" vs "nerve" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Nerv" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nerve" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #785,053 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nerv" and "nerve" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nerve vs Nervus". 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 #785,053 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.