Which to use
“hacken” and “hängen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,485
- “hacken” frequency rank
- #2,114
- “hängen” frequency rank
- 12599
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hacken | hängen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit einem spitzen Werkzeug auflockern, zerkleinern, zerschlagen | an einem festen Punkt (durch das Eigengewicht nach unten baumelnd) befestigen |
Where the eye mixes hacken and hängen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: hacken vs hängen
A purely visual mix-up. hacken ([ˈhakn̩]) and hängen ([ˈhɛŋən]) 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 12599, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hacken is recorded at frequency rank #10,485, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhakn̩]. hängen is at rank #2,114, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛŋən].
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 12599, this pair ranks #1,963,212 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hacken vs hängen
Shared letters: ehn. Private to "hacken": ack. Private to "hängen": gä.
"hacken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hängen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- hacken ← ahcken · haccken · hacekn · hackenn · hackken · hackne · hakcen · hcaken
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hacken" and "hängen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "hacken" or "hängen" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hacken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hängen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,963,212 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hacken" and "hängen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hacken vs harren". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,963,212 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.