Which to use
“new” is an adjective and “nie” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #688
- “new” frequency rank
- #199
- “nie” frequency rank
- 887
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | new | nie |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | neu | zu keiner Zeit, zu keinem Zeitpunkt |
Where the eye mixes new and nie
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses new with nie
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: new is [njuː] while nie is [niː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 887, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
new is recorded at frequency rank #688, classified as anadj, pronounced [njuː]. nie is at rank #199, tagged as anadv, pronounced [niː].
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 887, this pair ranks #2,005,203 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of new vs nie
Shared letters: en. Private to "new": w. Private to "nie": i.
"new" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nie" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "new" and "nie" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "new" or "nie" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "new" and "nie" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "new" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nie" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,203 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "new" and "nie" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "new vs nox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,005,203 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.