Which to use
“nicht” is a particle and “nimmt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8
- “nicht” frequency rank
- #602
- “nimmt” frequency rank
- 610
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nicht | nimmt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partikel, die die Verneinung, die Negierung beziehungsweise die Negation ausdrückt | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs nehmen |
Where the eye mixes nicht and nimmt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: nicht vs nimmt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nicht is [nɪçt] while nimmt is [nɪmt]. 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 (particle vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 610, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nicht is recorded at frequency rank #8, classified as aparticle, pronounced [nɪçt]. nimmt is at rank #602, tagged as averb, pronounced [nɪmt].
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 610, this pair ranks #2,005,616 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nicht vs nimmt
Shared letters: int. Private to "nicht": ch. Private to "nimmt": m.
"nicht" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "nimmt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nicht" and "nimmt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nicht" or "nimmt"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "nicht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nimmt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,616 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nicht" and "nimmt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nicht vs Nichten". 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 #2,005,616 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.