HahnvsHähneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,046
“Hahn” frequency rank
#49,790
“Hähne” frequency rank
53836
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hahn Hähne
Definition das männliche Tier verschiedener Vogelarten Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hahn

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Hahn
5 ch
Hähne

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Hahn ([haːn]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53836, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hahn is recorded at frequency rank #4,046, classified as anoun, pronounced [haːn]. 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 53836, this pair ranks #1,042,446 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Hahn vs Hähne

Shared letters: hn. Private to "Hahn": a. Private to "Hähne": .

"Hahn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Hähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hahnahhn · hahhn · hahnn · hanh · hhahn · hhan

Frequency comparison

Hahn#4,046
Hähne#49,790

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hahn" and "Hähne" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([haːn] versus [ˈhɛːnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Hahn" or "Hähne"?
"Hahn" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,046 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 Hahn 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 “Hahn” 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