Which to use
“haften” is a verb and “Haien” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,504
- “haften” frequency rank
- #38,794
- “Haien” frequency rank
- 51298
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | haften | Haien |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an etwas kleben, an etwas festhängen | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Hai |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set haften and Haien apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: haften is [ˈhaftn̩] while Haien is [ˈhaɪ̯ən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51298, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
haften is recorded at frequency rank #12,504, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhaftn̩]. Haien is at rank #38,794, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaɪ̯ən].
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 51298, this pair ranks #1,140,816 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of haften vs Haien
Shared letters: aehn. Private to "haften": ft. Private to "Haien": i.
"haften" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Haien" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "haften" and "Haien" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "haften" or "Haien"?
Remembering haften vs Haien
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “haften”; for a noun, it's “Haien”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “haften” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable