hängenvshegenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,114
“hängen” frequency rank
#23,977
“hegen” frequency rank
26091
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hängen hegen
Definition an einem festen Punkt (durch das Eigengewicht nach unten baumelnd) befestigen aufmerksam schützen und versorgen

Where the eye mixes hängen and hegen

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

6 ch
hängen
5 ch
hegen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hängen ([ˈhɛŋən]) and hegen ([ˈheːɡn̩]) 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 26091, 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]. hegen is at rank #23,977, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈheːɡn̩].

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 26091, this pair ranks #1,823,302 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hängen vs hegen

Shared letters: eghn. Private to "hängen": ä. Private to "hegen": -.

"hängen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "hegen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hegenehgen · heegn · hegenn · heggen · hegne · hgeen · hhegen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hängen" and "hegen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛŋən] versus [ˈheːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hängen" or "hegen"?
"hängen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,114 in our German list, against #23,977 for "hegen". 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