Which to use
“Nerv” is a noun and “nerven” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,139
- “Nerv” frequency rank
- #2,606
- “nerven” frequency rank
- 14745
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nerv | nerven |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bündel aus Fortsätzen von Nervenzellen außerhalb des Zentralnervensystems | jemanden anhaltend belästigen, jemandem auf die Nerven gehen |
Where the eye mixes Nerv and nerven
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Nerv and nerven
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Nerv is [nɛʁf] while nerven is [ˈnɛʁfn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Nerv” sits inside “nerven”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14745, 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]. nerven is at rank #2,606, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛʁfn̩].
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 14745, this pair ranks #1,949,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Nerv vs nerven
Shared letters: enrv. Private to "Nerv": -. Private to "nerven": -.
"Nerv" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "nerven" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Nerv" for "nerven" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Nerv" vs "nerven" - which ranks higher?
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 "Nerv" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nerven" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,949,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nerv" and "nerven" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nerv 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 #1,949,069 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.