[en] The growth defects are microscopic imperfections in thin films. They typically form by overgrowing a seed, i.e. a geometrical protrusion or a foreign particle; these are the nodular defects. This paper summarizes current knowledge of growth defects in transition-metal nitride coatings deposited by PVD, with an emphasis on magnetron sputtering where the defect density is substantially lower than at cathodic arc deposition. An overview of novel analytical techniques is given to evaluate both individual defects as well to gain a statistical overview of defect density. (author)