HaarevsHähneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,028
“Haare” frequency rank
#49,790
“Hähne” frequency rank
51818
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Haare Hähne
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Haar Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hahn

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Haare and Hähne apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Haare
5 ch
Hähne

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Haare ([ˈhaːʁə]) and Hähne ([ˈhɛːnə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51818, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Haare is recorded at frequency rank #2,028, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaːʁə]. Hähne is at rank #49,790, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɛːnə].

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 51818, this pair ranks #1,120,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Haare vs Hähne

Shared letters: eh. Private to "Haare": ar. Private to "Hähne": .

"Haare" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "Hähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Haareahare · haaer · haarre · harae · hhaare

Frequency comparison

Haare#2,028
Hähne#49,790

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Haare" and "Hähne" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhaːʁə] versus [ˈhɛːnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Haare" or "Hähne"?
"Haare" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,028 in our German list, against #49,790 for "Hähne". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Haare vs Hähne

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 “Haare” 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