Which to use
“härten” and “hattet” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,493
- “härten” frequency rank
- #13,161
- “hattet” frequency rank
- 60654
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | härten | hattet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | transitiv: | 2. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs haben |
Where the eye mixes härten and hattet
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. härten and hattet follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: härten vs hattet
A purely visual mix-up. härten ([ˈhɛʁtn̩]) and hattet ([ˈhatət]) 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 60654, 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]. hattet is at rank #13,161, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhatət].
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 60654, this pair ranks #778,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of härten vs hattet
Shared letters: eht. Private to "härten": nrä. Private to "hattet": a.
"härten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hattet" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- hattet ← ahttet · hatett · hattett · hattte · hhattet · htatet
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "härten" for "hattet" ever safe?
Which is more common, "härten" or "hattet"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "härten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hattet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #778,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "härten" and "hattet" 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 #778,907 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.