Which to use
“nic” is a pronoun and “nice” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,733
- “nic” frequency rank
- #5,988
- “nice” frequency rank
- 39721
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nic | nice |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nichts | von guter Qualität |
Where the eye mixes nic and nice
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses nic with nice
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nic is [ɲit͡s] while nice is [naɪ̯s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “nic” sits inside “nice”, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39721, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nic is recorded at frequency rank #33,733, classified as apron, pronounced [ɲit͡s]. nice is at rank #5,988, tagged as anadj, pronounced [naɪ̯s].
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 39721, this pair ranks #1,528,831 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nic vs nice
Shared letters: cin. Private to "nic": -. Private to "nice": e.
"nic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "nice" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- nice ← ince · ncie · nicce · niec · nnice
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nic" and "nice" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nic" or "nice"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nic" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nice" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,528,831 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nic" and "nice" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nic vs nox". 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 #1,528,831 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.