Which to use
“hängen” and “hungern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,114
- “hängen” frequency rank
- #18,930
- “hungern” frequency rank
- 21044
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hängen | hungern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an einem festen Punkt (durch das Eigengewicht nach unten baumelnd) befestigen | Hunger haben, hungrig sein |
Where the eye mixes hängen and hungern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. hängen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against hungern's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between hängen and hungern
A purely visual mix-up. hängen ([ˈhɛŋən]) and hungern ([ˈhʊŋɐn]) 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 21044, 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]. hungern is at rank #18,930, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhʊŋɐn].
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 21044, this pair ranks #1,890,804 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hängen vs hungern
Shared letters: eghn. Private to "hängen": ä. Private to "hungern": ru.
"hängen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hungern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- hungern ← hhungern · hnugern · hugnern · hunegrn · hungenr · hungernn · hungerrn · hunggern
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hängen" for "hungern" ever safe?
Frequency check: "hängen" vs "hungern" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hängen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hungern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,890,804 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hängen" and "hungern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hungern vs Hunnen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,890,804 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.