neunvsNeunerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: neun is a num, Neuner is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“neun” is a num and “Neuner” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,639
“neun” frequency rank
#49,119
“Neuner” frequency rank
50758
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature neun Neuner
Definition die Kardinalzahl zwischen acht und zehn etwas mit der Nummer 9

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set neun and Neuner apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
neun
6 ch
Neuner

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: neun is [nɔɪ̯n] while Neuner is [ˈnɔɪ̯nɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “neun” sits inside “Neuner”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

neun is recorded at frequency rank #1,639, classified as anum, pronounced [nɔɪ̯n]. Neuner is at rank #49,119, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɔɪ̯nɐ].

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 50758, this pair ranks #1,161,618 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of neun vs Neuner

Shared letters: enu. Private to "neun": -. Private to "Neuner": r.

"neun" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Neuner" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • neunenun · nenu · neunn · nneun · nuen
  • Neunerenuner · nenuer · neuenr · neunerr · neunner · neunre · nneuner · nuener

Frequency comparison

neun#1,639
Neuner#49,119

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "neun" and "Neuner" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "neun" is a num and "Neuner" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "neun" or "Neuner"?
"neun" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,639 in our German list, against #49,119 for "Neuner". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering neun vs Neuner

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “neun”; for a noun, it's “Neuner”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “neun” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list