HändevsHundeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,453
“Hände” frequency rank
#2,343
“Hunde” frequency rank
3796
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hände Hunde
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hand Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Hund

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Hände and Hunde apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Hände
5 ch
Hunde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Hände ([ˈhɛndə]) and Hunde ([ˈhʊndə]) 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 a single letter - ä in “Hände” becomes u in “Hunde”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3796, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hände is recorded at frequency rank #1,453, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɛndə]. Hunde is at rank #2,343, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhʊndə].

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 3796, this pair ranks #1,999,343 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Hände vs Hunde

Shared letters: dehn. Private to "Hände": ä. Private to "Hunde": u.

"Hände" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Hunde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hundehhunde · hnude · hudne · hundde · huned · hunnde · uhnde

Frequency comparison

Hände#1,453
Hunde#2,343

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hände" and "Hunde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛndə] versus [ˈhʊndə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Hände" or "Hunde"?
"Hände" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,453 in our German list, against #2,343 for "Hunde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hände vs Hunde

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 “Hände” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list