Which to use
“Hähne” is a noun and “härte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,790
- “Hähne” frequency rank
- #9,738
- “härte” frequency rank
- 59528
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hähne | härte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hahn | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs härten |
Where the eye mixes Hähne and härte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Hähne and härte follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Hähne with härte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Hähne is [ˈhɛːnə] while härte is [ˈhɛʁtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59528, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hähne is recorded at frequency rank #49,790, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɛːnə]. härte is at rank #9,738, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtə].
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 59528, this pair ranks #821,218 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Hähne vs härte
Shared letters: ehä. Private to "Hähne": n. Private to "härte": rt.
"Hähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "härte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Hähne" for "härte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Hähne" or "härte"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hähne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "härte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #821,218 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hähne" and "härte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hähne vs haze". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #821,218 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.