Which to use
“nur” is a particle and “Nuss” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40
- “nur” frequency rank
- #13,905
- “Nuss” frequency rank
- 13945
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nur | Nuss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | generell: unterstreicht die Betonung oder Einschränkung der Satzteilaussage | essbarer, ölhaltiger Same mit harter Schale |
Where the eye mixes nur and Nuss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses nur with Nuss
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nur is [nuːɐ̯] while Nuss is [nʊs]. 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 (particle vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13945, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nur is recorded at frequency rank #40, classified as aparticle, pronounced [nuːɐ̯]. Nuss is at rank #13,905, tagged as anoun, pronounced [nʊs].
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 13945, this pair ranks #1,954,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nur vs Nuss
Shared letters: nu. Private to "nur": r. Private to "Nuss": s.
"nur" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Nuss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Nuss ← nnuss · nsus · nus · nuß · unss
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nur" for "Nuss" ever safe?
Which is more common, "nur" or "Nuss"?
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 "nur" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Nuss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,954,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nur" and "Nuss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Nuss vs Nüssen". 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 #1,954,603 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.