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 eye mixes härten and Häuten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. härten (CVCCVC) and Häuten (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses härten with Häuten
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "härten" and "Häuten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "härten" vs "Häuten" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "Häuten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #10,293 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "härten" and "Häuten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "harren vs Häuten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #10,293 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.