Which to use
“Nerv” is a noun and “nervös” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,139
- “Nerv” frequency rank
- #6,333
- “nervös” frequency rank
- 18472
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nerv | nervös |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bündel aus Fortsätzen von Nervenzellen außerhalb des Zentralnervensystems | so, dass man schnell aufgeregt und reizbar ist |
Where the eye mixes Nerv and nervös
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Nerv runs 4 letters (CVCC) against nervös's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Nerv with nervös
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Nerv is [nɛʁf] while nervös is [nɛʁˈvøːs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Nerv” sits inside “nervös”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18472, 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]. nervös is at rank #6,333, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nɛʁˈvøːs].
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 18472, this pair ranks #1,917,886 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Nerv vs nervös
Shared letters: enrv. Private to "Nerv": -. Private to "nervös": sö.
"Nerv" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "nervös" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Nerv ← enrv · nerrv · nervv · nevr · nnerv · nrev
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Nerv" and "nervös" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Nerv" or "nervös" show up more?
Useful next steps
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 "nervös" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,917,886 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nerv" and "nervös" 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 #1,917,886 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.