Which to use
“Harder” is a noun and “härten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,824
- “Harder” frequency rank
- #47,493
- “härten” frequency rank
- 83317
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Harder | härten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Einwohner, Bewohner der Marktgemeinde Hard, eine in Hard geborene Person | transitiv: |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Harder and härten apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Harder is [ˈhaʁdɐ] while härten is [ˈhɛʁtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Harder is recorded at frequency rank #35,824, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhaʁdɐ]. härten is at rank #47,493, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtn̩].
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 83317, this pair ranks #141,957 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Harder vs härten
Shared letters: ehr. Private to "Harder": ad. Private to "härten": ntä.
"Harder" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "härten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Harder ← ahrder · hadrer · hardder · harderr · hardre · haredr · harrder · hharder
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Harder" and "härten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Harder" or "härten"?
Remembering Harder vs härten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Harder”; for a verb, it's “härten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Harder” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable