nerven
[ˈnɛʁfn̩]
The verdict
“nerven” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #2,606 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #2,606
- frequency rank, German
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - jemanden anhaltend belästigen, jemandem auf die Nerven gehen
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 | nerven |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈnɛʁfn̩] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #2,606 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “nerven” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for nerven is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈnɛʁfn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #2,606 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "jemanden anhaltend belästigen, jemandem auf die Nerven gehen".
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for nerven, with forms such as "enrven", "nerevn", and "nerrven". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "neuen", "nervt", "never", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is nerven, spelled N-E-R-V-E-N.
Definition
- 1jemanden anhaltend belästigen, jemandem auf die Nerven gehen
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: enrven,nerevn,nerrven,nervenn,nervne,nervven,nevren,nnerven,nreven
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of nerven - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "nerven"?
What does "nerven" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "nerven"?
How do you pronounce "nerven"?
What language does "nerven" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “nerven”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is N-E-R-V-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈnɛʁfn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “neuen” - see the side-by-side comparison. nerven vs neuen
- 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.