Which to use
“härten” is a verb and “härteren” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,493
- “härten” frequency rank
- #33,650
- “härteren” frequency rank
- 81143
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | härten | härteren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | transitiv: | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Komparativs des Adjektivs hart |
Where the eye mixes härten and härteren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. härten runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against härteren's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: härten vs härteren
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: härten is [ˈhɛʁtn̩] while härteren is [ˈhɛʁtəʁən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81143, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
härten is recorded at frequency rank #47,493, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtn̩]. härteren is at rank #33,650, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtəʁən].
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 81143, this pair ranks #181,429 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of härten vs härteren
Shared letters: ehnrtä. Private to "härten": -. Private to "härteren": -.
"härten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "härteren" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "härten" for "härteren" ever safe?
Frequency check: "härten" vs "härteren" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "härten" and "härteren" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "härten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "härteren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #181,429 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "härten" and "härteren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "harren vs härten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #181,429 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.