Which to use
“Nerv” is a noun and “neu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,139
- “Nerv” frequency rank
- #385
- “neu” frequency rank
- 12524
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nerv | neu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bündel aus Fortsätzen von Nervenzellen außerhalb des Zentralnervensystems | vor kurzer Zeit gemacht oder geschehen |
Where the eye mixes Nerv and neu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Nerv with neu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Nerv is [nɛʁf] while neu is [nɔɪ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12524, 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]. neu is at rank #385, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nɔɪ̯].
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 12524, this pair ranks #1,963,658 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Nerv vs neu
Shared letters: en. Private to "Nerv": rv. Private to "neu": u.
"Nerv" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "neu" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Nerv ← enrv · nerrv · nervv · nevr · nnerv · nrev
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Nerv" and "neu" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Nerv" or "neu"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Nerv" and "neu" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Nerv" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "neu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,963,658 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nerv" and "neu" 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 #1,963,658 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.