härtenvsHäutenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: härten is a verb, Häuten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“härten” is a verb and “Häuten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#47,493
“härten” frequency rank
#48,238
“Häuten” frequency rank
95731
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature härten Häuten
Definition transitiv: Tötung durch Entfernen der Haut

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set härten and Häuten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
härten
6 ch
Häuten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: härten is [ˈhɛʁtn̩] while Häuten is [ˈhɔɪ̯tn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “härten” becomes u in “Häuten”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 95731, 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]. Häuten is at rank #48,238, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɔɪ̯tn̩].

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 95731, this pair ranks #10,293 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of härten vs Häuten

Shared letters: ehntä. Private to "härten": r. Private to "Häuten": u.

"härten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Häuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Frequency comparison

härten#47,493
Häuten#48,238

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "härten" and "Häuten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "härten" is a verb and "Häuten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "härten" or "Häuten"?
"härten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #47,493 in our German list, against #48,238 for "Häuten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering härten vs Häuten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “härten”; for a noun, it's “Häuten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “härten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list