Which to use
“härte” is a verb and “härtere” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,738
- “härte” frequency rank
- #23,568
- “härtere” frequency rank
- 33306
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | härte | härtere |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs härten | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Komparativs des Adjektivs hart |
Where the eye mixes härte and härtere
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. härte runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against härtere's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses härte with härtere
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: härte is [ˈhɛʁtə] while härtere is [ˈhɛʁtəʁə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “härte” sits inside “härtere”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33306, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
härte is recorded at frequency rank #9,738, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtə]. härtere is at rank #23,568, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtəʁə].
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 33306, this pair ranks #1,688,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of härte vs härtere
Shared letters: ehrtä. Private to "härte": -. Private to "härtere": -.
"härte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "härtere" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "härte" for "härtere" ever safe?
Frequency check: "härte" vs "härtere" - 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 "härte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "härtere" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,688,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "härte" and "härtere" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "härten vs härtere". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,688,818 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.