Which to use
“Hans” and “hen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #953
- “Hans” frequency rank
- #34,162
- “hen” frequency rank
- 35115
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hans | hen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person männlichen Geschlechts | die Henne, ein weiblicher Vogel |
Where the eye mixes Hans and hen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Hans and hen
A purely visual mix-up. Hans ([hans]) and hen ([hɛn]) 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 35115, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hans is recorded at frequency rank #953, classified as anoun, pronounced [hans]. hen is at rank #34,162, tagged as anoun, pronounced [hɛn].
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 35115, this pair ranks #1,647,698 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Hans vs hen
Shared letters: hn. Private to "Hans": as. Private to "hen": e.
"Hans" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "hen" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Hans ← ahns · hanss · hasn · hhans · hnas
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Hans" for "hen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Hans" or "hen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Hans" and "hen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hans" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,647,698 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hans" and "hen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "heel vs hen". 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 #1,647,698 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.