Which to use
“Haien” and “hen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,794
- “Haien” frequency rank
- #34,162
- “hen” frequency rank
- 72956
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Haien | hen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Hai | die Henne, ein weiblicher Vogel |
Where the eye mixes Haien and hen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Haien runs 5 letters (CVVVC) against hen's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Haien vs hen
A purely visual mix-up. Haien ([ˈhaɪ̯ən]) and hen ([hɛn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72956, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Haien is recorded at frequency rank #38,794, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaɪ̯ən]. hen is at rank #34,162, tagged as anoun, pronounced [hɛn].
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 72956, this pair ranks #373,746 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Haien vs hen
Shared letters: ehn. Private to "Haien": ai. Private to "hen": -.
"Haien" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "hen" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Haien ← ahien · haein · haienn · haine · hhaien · hiaen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Haien" for "hen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Haien" or "hen"?
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 "Haien" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #373,746 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Haien" and "hen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Haien vs haze". 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 #373,746 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.