Which to use
“härten” and “hörten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,493
- “härten” frequency rank
- #11,457
- “hörten” frequency rank
- 58950
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | härten | hörten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | transitiv: | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs hören |
Where the eye mixes härten and hörten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. härten and hörten 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 hörten
A purely visual mix-up. härten ([ˈhɛʁtn̩]) and hörten ([ˈhøːɐ̯tn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - ä in “härten” becomes ö in “hörten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58950, 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]. hörten is at rank #11,457, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhøːɐ̯tn̩].
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 58950, this pair ranks #843,029 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of härten vs hörten
Shared letters: ehnrt. Private to "härten": ä. Private to "hörten": ö.
"härten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hörten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "härten" for "hörten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "härten" vs "hörten" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "härten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hörten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #843,029 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "härten" and "hörten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "harren vs härten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #843,029 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.