hängenvshauenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,114
“hängen” frequency rank
#7,187
“hauen” frequency rank
9301
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hängen hauen
Definition an einem festen Punkt (durch das Eigengewicht nach unten baumelnd) befestigen einen oder mehrere Schläge mit der Faust / den Fäusten versetzen

Where the eye mixes hängen and hauen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

6 ch
hängen
5 ch
hauen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hängen ([ˈhɛŋən]) and hauen ([ˈhaʊ̯ən]) 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 9301, 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]. hauen is at rank #7,187, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhaʊ̯ən].

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 9301, this pair ranks #1,980,611 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hängen vs hauen

Shared letters: ehn. Private to "hängen": . Private to "hauen": au.

"hängen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "hauen" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hauenahuen · haeun · hauenn · haune · hhauen · huaen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hängen" and "hauen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛŋən] versus [ˈhaʊ̯ən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hängen" or "hauen"?
"hängen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,114 in our German list, against #7,187 for "hauen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list