Hähne vs Hühner, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#49,790
“Hähne” frequency rank: #10,112
“Hühner” frequency rank: 59902
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Hähne	Hühner
Definition	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hahn	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Huhn

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Hähne and Hühner apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

Hähne

6 ch

Hühner

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Hähne ([ˈhɛːnə]) and Hühner ([ˈhyːnɐ]) 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 59902, 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]. Hühner is at rank #10,112, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhyːnɐ].

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 59902, this pair ranks #807,035 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Hähne vs Hühner

Shared letters: ehn. Private to "Hähne": ä. Private to "Hühner": rü.

"Hähne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Hühner" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Frequency comparison

Hähne#49,790

Hühner#10,112

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hähne" and "Hühner" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛːnə] versus [ˈhyːnɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Hähne" or "Hühner"?

"Hühner" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,112 in our German list, against #49,790 for "Hähne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hähne vs Hühner

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 “Hähne” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable