nähen
[ˈnɛːən]
The verdict
“nähen” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #13,452 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #13,452
- frequency rank, German
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Textilteile mit einem Faden verbinden
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | nähen |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈnɛːən] |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #13,452 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nähen” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for nähen is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈnɛːən]. Corpus data places it at rank #13,452 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for nähen, with forms such as "nhäen", "nnähen", and "näehn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "nen", "Name", "nahm", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is nähen, spelled N-Ä-H-E-N.
Definition
- 1Textilteile mit einem Faden verbinden
- 2Textilwaren oder bestimmte Teile davon nach der Technik [1] herstellen oder ausbessern
- 3Hautwunden mit einem Faden verschließen
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: nhäen,nnähen,näehn,nähenn,nähhen,nähne,änhen
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nähen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "nähen"?
What does "nähen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "nähen"?
How do you pronounce "nähen"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “nähen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is N-Ä-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈnɛːən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “nen” - see the side-by-side comparison. nähen vs nen
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.