Which to use
“nervös” and “nervöser” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,333
- “nervös” frequency rank
- #46,881
- “nervöser” frequency rank
- 53214
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nervös | nervöser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | so, dass man schnell aufgeregt und reizbar ist | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs nervös |
Where the eye mixes nervös and nervöser
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses nervös with nervöser
A purely visual mix-up. nervös ([nɛʁˈvøːs]) and nervöser ([nɛʁˈvøːzɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “nervös” sits inside “nervöser”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53214, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nervös is recorded at frequency rank #6,333, classified as anadj, pronounced [nɛʁˈvøːs]. nervöser is at rank #46,881, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nɛʁˈvøːzɐ].
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 53214, this pair ranks #1,066,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nervös vs nervöser
Shared letters: enrsvö. Private to "nervös": -. Private to "nervöser": -.
"nervös" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "nervöser" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nervös" and "nervöser" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nervös" or "nervöser"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nervös" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nervöser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,066,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nervös" and "nervöser" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nervös vs Nervus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,066,784 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.