Which to use
“hängen” and “härten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,114
- “hängen” frequency rank
- #47,493
- “härten” frequency rank
- 49607
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hängen | härten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an einem festen Punkt (durch das Eigengewicht nach unten baumelnd) befestigen | transitiv: |
Where the eye mixes hängen and härten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. hängen and härten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between hängen and härten
A purely visual mix-up. hängen ([ˈhɛŋən]) and härten ([ˈhɛʁtn̩]) 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 49607, 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]. härten is at rank #47,493, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtn̩].
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 49607, this pair ranks #1,205,088 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hängen vs härten
Shared letters: ehnä. Private to "hängen": g. Private to "härten": rt.
"hängen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "härten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hängen" and "härten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hängen" or "härten"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "hängen" and "härten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "hängen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "härten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,205,088 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hängen" and "härten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "harren vs härten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,205,088 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.