Which to use
“hänge” and “hängte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,304
- “hänge” frequency rank
- #42,582
- “hängte” frequency rank
- 52886
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hänge | hängte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hängen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs hängen |
Where the eye mixes hänge and hängte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. hänge runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against hängte's 6 (CVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between hänge and hängte
A purely visual mix-up. hänge ([ˈhɛŋə]) and hängte ([ˈhɛŋtə]) 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 52886, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hänge is recorded at frequency rank #10,304, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛŋə]. hängte is at rank #42,582, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛŋtə].
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 52886, this pair ranks #1,079,445 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hänge vs hängte
Shared letters: eghnä. Private to "hänge": -. Private to "hängte": t.
"hänge" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "hängte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hänge" and "hängte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "hänge" or "hängte" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hänge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hängte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,079,445 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hänge" and "hängte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hängte vs Hengste". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,079,445 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.