anhebenvsanhörenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“anheben” and “anhören” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#18,469
“anheben” frequency rank
#6,143
“anhören” frequency rank
24612
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature anheben anhören
Definition ein wenig in die Höhe heben jemandem (aufmerksam) zuhören; jemandem (vor allem vor Gericht) Gehör schenken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set anheben and anhören apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
anheben
7 ch
anhören

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. anheben ([ˈanˌheːbn̩]) and anhören ([ˈanˌhøːʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24612, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

anheben is recorded at frequency rank #18,469, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌheːbn̩]. anhören is at rank #6,143, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌhøːʁən].

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 24612, this pair ranks #1,845,175 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of anheben vs anhören

Shared letters: aehn. Private to "anheben": b. Private to "anhören": .

"anheben" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "anhören" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anhebenahneben · anehben · anhbeen · anhebben · anhebenn · anhebne · anheebn · anhheben

Frequency comparison

anheben#18,469
anhören#6,143

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "anheben" and "anhören" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈanˌheːbn̩] versus [ˈanˌhøːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "anheben" or "anhören"?
"anhören" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,143 in our German list, against #18,469 for "anheben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering anheben vs anhören

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “anheben” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list