hängenvshängstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,114
“hängen” frequency rank
#30,123
“hängst” frequency rank
32237
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hängen hängst
Definition an einem festen Punkt (durch das Eigengewicht nach unten baumelnd) befestigen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hängen

Where the eye mixes hängen and hängst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
hängen
6 ch
hängst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hängen ([ˈhɛŋən]) and hängst ([hɛŋst]) 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 32237, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hängen is recorded at frequency rank #2,114, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛŋən]. hängst is at rank #30,123, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɛŋst].

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 32237, this pair ranks #1,711,833 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hängen vs hängst

Shared letters: ghnä. Private to "hängen": e. Private to "hängst": st.

"hängen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "hängst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hängen" and "hängst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛŋən] versus [hɛŋst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hängen" or "hängst"?
"hängen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,114 in our German list, against #30,123 for "hängst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list