Which to use
“härte” and “hatten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,738
- “härte” frequency rank
- #278
- “hatten” frequency rank
- 10016
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | härte | hatten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs härten | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs haben |
Where the eye mixes härte and hatten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. härte runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against hatten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: härte vs hatten
A purely visual mix-up. härte ([ˈhɛʁtə]) and hatten ([ˈhatn̩]) 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 10016, 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]. hatten is at rank #278, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhatn̩].
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 10016, this pair ranks #1,977,191 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of härte vs hatten
Shared letters: eht. Private to "härte": rä. Private to "hatten": an.
"härte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "hatten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- hatten ← ahtten · haten · hatetn · hattenn · hattne · hhatten · htaten
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "härte" and "hatten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "härte" or "hatten"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "härte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hatten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,977,191 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "härte" and "hatten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hähne vs härte". 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 #1,977,191 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.