HamstervsHaustürWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,638
“Hamster” frequency rank
#7,188
“Haustür” frequency rank
28826
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hamster Haustür
Definition maus- (Zwerghamster) bis fast kaninchengroßes (Feldhamster), dämmerungsaktives Nagetier, mit dichtem Fell und kurzem bis stummelartigem Schwanz (Familie Cricetidae) Ein- und Ausgangstür eines Hauses

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Hamster
7 ch
Haustür

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Hamster ([ˈhamstɐ]) and Haustür ([ˈhaʊ̯sˌtyːɐ̯]) 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 28826, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hamster is recorded at frequency rank #21,638, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhamstɐ]. Haustür is at rank #7,188, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaʊ̯sˌtyːɐ̯].

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 28826, this pair ranks #1,777,894 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Hamster vs Haustür

Shared letters: ahrst. Private to "Hamster": em. Private to "Haustür": .

"Hamster" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Haustür" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hamsterahmster · hammster · hamsetr · hamsster · hamsterr · hamstre · hamstter · hamtser

Frequency comparison

Hamster#21,638
Haustür#7,188

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hamster" and "Haustür" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhamstɐ] versus [ˈhaʊ̯sˌtyːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Hamster" or "Haustür"?
"Haustür" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,188 in our German list, against #21,638 for "Hamster". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hamster vs Haustür

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 “Hamster” 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