hämmernvshemmenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,121
“hämmern” frequency rank
#34,161
“hemmen” frequency rank
64282
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hämmern hemmen
Definition mit einem Hammer oder einem anderen Gegenstand wiederholt auf etwas einschlagen etwas hindern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hämmern and hemmen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
hämmern
6 ch
hemmen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hämmern ([ˈhɛmɐn]) and hemmen ([ˈhɛmən]) 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 64282, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hämmern is recorded at frequency rank #30,121, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛmɐn]. hemmen is at rank #34,161, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛmən].

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 64282, this pair ranks #647,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hämmern vs hemmen

Shared letters: ehmn. Private to "hämmern": . Private to "hemmen": -.

"hämmern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "hemmen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hemmenehmmen · hememn · hemen · hemmenn · hemmne · hhemmen · hmemen

Frequency comparison

hämmern#30,121
hemmen#34,161

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hämmern" and "hemmen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛmɐn] versus [ˈhɛmən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hämmern" or "hemmen"?
"hämmern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,121 in our German list, against #34,161 for "hemmen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hämmern vs hemmen

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list