Which to use
“nie” is an adverb and “nur” is a particle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #199
- “nie” frequency rank
- #40
- “nur” frequency rank
- 239
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nie | nur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu keiner Zeit, zu keinem Zeitpunkt | generell: unterstreicht die Betonung oder Einschränkung der Satzteilaussage |
Where the eye mixes nie and nur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nie is [niː] while nur is [nuːɐ̯]. 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 (adverb vs particle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nie is recorded at frequency rank #199, classified as anadv, pronounced [niː]. nur is at rank #40, tagged as aparticle, pronounced [nuːɐ̯].
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 239, this pair ranks #2,006,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nie vs nur
Shared letters: n. Private to "nie": ei. Private to "nur": ru.
"nie" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "nur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nie" and "nur" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nie" or "nur"?
What to do next
You've compared "nie" and "nur". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "nie" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,006,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nie" and "nur" 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.