Which to use
“härten” and “hassen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,493
- “härten” frequency rank
- #4,617
- “hassen” frequency rank
- 52110
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | härten | hassen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | transitiv: | feindselige Gefühle gegen jemanden, etwas hegen |
Where the eye mixes härten and hassen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. härten and hassen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between härten and hassen
A purely visual mix-up. härten ([ˈhɛʁtn̩]) and hassen ([ˈhasn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52110, 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]. hassen is at rank #4,617, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhasn̩].
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 52110, this pair ranks #1,109,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of härten vs hassen
Shared letters: ehn. Private to "härten": rtä. Private to "hassen": as.
"härten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hassen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- hassen ← ahssen · hasesn · hassenn · hassne · haßen · hhassen · hsasen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "härten" for "hassen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "härten" vs "hassen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "härten" and "hassen" 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 "hassen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,109,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "härten" and "hassen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "harren vs härten". 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 #1,109,587 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.