Which to use
“Hälfte” is a noun and “härte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #905
- “Hälfte” frequency rank
- #9,738
- “härte” frequency rank
- 10643
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hälfte | härte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einer von zwei gleich großen Anteilen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs härten |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Hälfte and härte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Hälfte is [ˈhɛlftə] while härte is [ˈhɛʁtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hälfte is recorded at frequency rank #905, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɛlftə]. 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 10643, this pair ranks #1,974,077 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Hälfte vs härte
Shared letters: ehtä. Private to "Hälfte": fl. Private to "härte": r.
"Hälfte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "härte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Hälfte" and "härte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Hälfte" or "härte"?
Remembering Hälfte vs härte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Hälfte”; for a verb, it's “härte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Hälfte” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable