hakvshexConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#38,795
“hak” frequency rank
#35,833
“hex” frequency rank
74628
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hak hex
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs haken 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hexen

Where the eye mixes hak and hex

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. hak and hex follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

3 ch
hak
3 ch
hex

Why the eye confuses hak with hex

A purely visual mix-up. hak ([haːk]) and hex ([hɛks]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74628, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hak is recorded at frequency rank #38,795, classified as averb, pronounced [haːk]. hex is at rank #35,833, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɛks].

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 74628, this pair ranks #328,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hak vs hex

Shared letters: h. Private to "hak": ak. Private to "hex": ex.

"hak" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "hex" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "hak" and "hex" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([haːk] versus [hɛks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "hak" or "hex" show up more?
"hex" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,833 in our German list, against #38,795 for "hak". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "hak" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "hex" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #328,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "hak" and "hex" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hak vs haze". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #328,492 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list