Which to use
“Nichte” is a noun and “nichtig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,354
- “Nichte” frequency rank
- #21,369
- “nichtig” frequency rank
- 33723
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nichte | nichtig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tochter der Schwester oder des Bruders , im weiteren Sinne auch des Schwagers oder der Schwägerin | unbedeutend, bedeutungslos |
Where the eye mixes Nichte and nichtig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Nichte runs 6 letters (CVCCCV) against nichtig's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Nichte with nichtig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Nichte is [ˈnɪçtə] while nichtig is [ˈnɪçtɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33723, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Nichte is recorded at frequency rank #12,354, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɪçtə]. nichtig is at rank #21,369, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɪçtɪç].
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 33723, this pair ranks #1,679,512 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Nichte vs nichtig
Shared letters: chint. Private to "Nichte": e. Private to "nichtig": g.
"Nichte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "nichtig" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Nichte" and "nichtig" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Nichte" or "nichtig" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Nichte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nichtig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,679,512 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nichte" and "nichtig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nichten vs nichtig". 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 #1,679,512 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.