Which to use
“Nichte” and “Nichts” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,354
- “Nichte” frequency rank
- #129
- “Nichts” frequency rank
- 12483
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nichte | Nichts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tochter der Schwester oder des Bruders , im weiteren Sinne auch des Schwagers oder der Schwägerin | Ort, an dem nichts existiert, Raum, der leer ist |
Where the eye mixes Nichte and Nichts
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Nichte (CVCCCV) and Nichts (CVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Nichte and Nichts
A purely visual mix-up. Nichte ([ˈnɪçtə]) and Nichts ([nɪçt͡s]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - e in “Nichte” becomes s in “Nichts”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12483, 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]. Nichts is at rank #129, tagged as anoun, pronounced [nɪçt͡s].
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 12483, this pair ranks #1,963,925 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Nichte vs Nichts
Shared letters: chint. Private to "Nichte": e. Private to "Nichts": s.
"Nichte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "Nichts" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Nichte" and "Nichts" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Nichte" or "Nichts" show up more?
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 "Nichte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Nichts" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,963,925 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nichte" and "Nichts" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nichte 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 #1,963,925 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.