NetzvsNetzeWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Netz” and “Netze” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,456
“Netz” frequency rank
#10,333
“Netze” frequency rank
11789
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Netz Netze
Definition geknüpftes maschiges Gebilde, mit Knoten verbunden Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Netz

Where the eye mixes Netz and Netze

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Netz
5 ch
Netze

Why the eye confuses Netz with Netze

A purely visual mix-up. Netz ([nɛt͡s]) and Netze ([ˈnɛt͡sə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Netz” sits inside “Netze”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11789, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Netz is recorded at frequency rank #1,456, classified as anoun, pronounced [nɛt͡s]. Netze is at rank #10,333, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛt͡sə].

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 11789, this pair ranks #1,967,883 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Netz vs Netze

Shared letters: entz. Private to "Netz": -. Private to "Netze": -.

"Netz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Netze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Netzentz · nettz · netzz · nezt · nnetz · ntez
  • Netzeentze · netez · nettze · netzze · nezte · nnetze · nteze

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Netz" and "Netze" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([nɛt͡s] versus [ˈnɛt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Netz" or "Netze" show up more?
"Netz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,456 in our German list, against #10,333 for "Netze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Netz" and "Netze" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Netz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Netze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,967,883 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Netz" and "Netze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nerve vs Netze". 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 #1,967,883 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list