nicvsnosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,733
“nic” frequency rank
#27,872
“nos” frequency rank
61605
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nic nos
Definition nichts für die 1. Person, Plural, Nominativ (Subjektfall); wir

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nic and nos apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
nic
3 ch
nos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

nic and nos are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61605, 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]. nos is at rank #27,872, tagged as apron, pronounced […].

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 61605, this pair ranks #743,436 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nic vs nos

Shared letters: n. Private to "nic": ci. Private to "nos": os.

"nic" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "nos" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

nic#33,733
nos#27,872

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nic" and "nos" be used interchangeably?
No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "nic" or "nos"?
"nos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,872 in our German list, against #33,733 for "nic". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nic vs nos

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nic” 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