Which to use
“nerven” and “nervst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,606
- “nerven” frequency rank
- #47,613
- “nervst” frequency rank
- 50219
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nerven | nervst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden anhaltend belästigen, jemandem auf die Nerven gehen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs nerven |
Where the eye mixes nerven and nervst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. nerven (CVCCVC) and nervst (CVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between nerven and nervst
A purely visual mix-up. nerven ([ˈnɛʁfn̩]) and nervst ([nɛʁfst]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50219, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nerven is recorded at frequency rank #2,606, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnɛʁfn̩]. nervst is at rank #47,613, tagged as averb, pronounced [nɛʁfst].
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 50219, this pair ranks #1,182,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nerven vs nervst
Shared letters: enrv. Private to "nerven": -. Private to "nervst": st.
"nerven" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "nervst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nerven" and "nervst" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "nerven" or "nervst" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nerven" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nervst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,182,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nerven" and "nervst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nervst 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 #1,182,028 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.