Which to use
“Nichten” is a noun and “nüchtern” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,354
- “Nichten” frequency rank
- #8,604
- “nüchtern” frequency rank
- 43958
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Nichten | nüchtern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Nichte | ohne Alkohol im Blut |
Where the eye mixes Nichten and nüchtern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Nichten runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against nüchtern's 8 (CVCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Nichten with nüchtern
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Nichten is [ˈnɪçtn̩] while nüchtern is [ˈnʏçtɐn]. 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 43958, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Nichten is recorded at frequency rank #35,354, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɪçtn̩]. nüchtern is at rank #8,604, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈnʏçtɐn].
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 43958, this pair ranks #1,401,625 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Nichten vs nüchtern
Shared letters: cehnt. Private to "Nichten": i. Private to "nüchtern": rü.
"Nichten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "nüchtern" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Nichten ← inchten · ncihten · nicchten · nichetn · nichhten · nichtenn · nichtne · nichtten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Nichten" and "nüchtern" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Nichten" or "nüchtern"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Nichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nüchtern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,401,625 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Nichten" and "nüchtern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nähten 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 #1,401,625 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.