habervshobenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,088
“haber” frequency rank
#31,101
“hoben” frequency rank
62189
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature haber hoben
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs habern 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs heben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set haber and hoben apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
haber
5 ch
hoben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. haber ([ˈhaːbɐ]) and hoben ([ˈhoːbn̩]) 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 62189, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

haber is recorded at frequency rank #31,088, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhaːbɐ]. hoben is at rank #31,101, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhoːbn̩].

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 62189, this pair ranks #722,003 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of haber vs hoben

Shared letters: beh. Private to "haber": ar. Private to "hoben": no.

"haber" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "hoben" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • haberahber · habber · haberr · habre · haebr · hbaer · hhaber
  • hobenhboen · hhoben · hobben · hobenn · hobne · hoebn · ohben

Frequency comparison

haber#31,088
hoben#31,101

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "haber" and "hoben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhaːbɐ] versus [ˈhoːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "haber" or "hoben"?
"haber" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,088 in our German list, against #31,101 for "hoben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering haber vs hoben

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 “haber” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list