Which to use
“nie” and “nun” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #199
- “nie” frequency rank
- #130
- “nun” frequency rank
- 329
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nie | nun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu keiner Zeit, zu keinem Zeitpunkt | zu diesem Zeitpunkt, zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt, in dem Moment |
Where the eye mixes nie and nun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. nie ([niː]) and nun ([nuːn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 329, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nie is recorded at frequency rank #199, classified as anadv, pronounced [niː]. nun is at rank #130, tagged as anadv, pronounced [nuːn].
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 329, this pair ranks #2,005,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nie vs nun
Shared letters: n. Private to "nie": ei. Private to "nun": u.
"nie" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nie" and "nun" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nie" or "nun"?
What to do next
You've compared "nie" and "nun". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "nie" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nie" and "nun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nie vs nox". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.