hängstvshängteTell them apart

Which to use

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

#30,123
“hängst” frequency rank
#42,582
“hängte” frequency rank
72705
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hängst hängte
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hängen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs hängen

Where the eye mixes hängst and hängte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. hängst (CVCCCC) and hängte (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

6 ch
hängst
6 ch
hängte

Visual trap between hängst and hängte

A purely visual mix-up. hängst ([hɛŋst]) and hängte ([ˈhɛŋtə]) 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 72705, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hängst is recorded at frequency rank #30,123, classified as averb, pronounced [hɛŋst]. hängte is at rank #42,582, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛŋtə].

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 72705, this pair ranks #380,737 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of hängst vs hängte

Shared letters: ghntä. Private to "hängst": s. Private to "hängte": e.

"hängst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "hängte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "hängst" for "hängte" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([hɛŋst] versus [ˈhɛŋtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hängst" or "hängte"?
"hängst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,123 in our German list, against #42,582 for "hängte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "hängst" and "hängte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "hängst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "hängte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #380,737 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "hängst" and "hängte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hängte vs Hengste". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #380,737 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list