Which to use
“nett” is an adjective and “netto” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,706
- “nett” frequency rank
- #8,254
- “netto” frequency rank
- 9960
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nett | netto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | lieb, liebenswürdig, angenehm | der übrigbleibende Betrag, nachdem etwas (Steuern: Einkommenssteuern oder Umsatzsteuer; Kosten; Verpackungsgewicht) abgezogen wurde |
Where the eye mixes nett and netto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. nett runs 4 letters (CVCC) against netto's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses nett with netto
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nett is [nɛt] while netto is [ˈnɛto]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “nett” sits inside “netto”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nett is recorded at frequency rank #1,706, classified as anadj, pronounced [nɛt]. netto is at rank #8,254, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈnɛto].
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 9960, this pair ranks #1,977,449 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nett vs netto
Shared letters: ent. Private to "nett": -. Private to "netto": o.
"nett" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "netto" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nett" for "netto" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "nett" or "netto" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nett" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "netto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,977,449 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nett" and "netto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "negro vs netto". 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 #1,977,449 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.