Which to use
“Nervus” and “Nexus” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,117
- “Nervus” frequency rank
- #19,323
- “Nexus” frequency rank
- 68440
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nervus | Nexus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Strang aus Nervenzellen, der der Erregungsleitung im tierischen oder menschlichen Körper dient | Verbindung, Verkettung, Zusammenhang |
Where the eye mixes Nervus and Nexus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Nervus runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Nexus's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Nervus with Nexus
A purely visual mix-up. Nervus ([ˈnɛʁvʊs]) and Nexus ([ˈnɛksʊs]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68440, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Nervus is recorded at frequency rank #49,117, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛʁvʊs]. Nexus is at rank #19,323, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛksʊs].
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 68440, this pair ranks #507,702 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Nervus vs Nexus
Shared letters: ensu. Private to "Nervus": rv. Private to "Nexus": x.
"Nervus" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Nexus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Nervus" for "Nexus" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Nervus" or "Nexus" 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 "Nervus" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Nexus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #507,702 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nervus" and "Nexus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nerve 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 #507,702 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.