härterevshärtesteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“härtere” and “härteste” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#23,568
“härtere” frequency rank
#26,457
“härteste” frequency rank
50025
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature härtere härteste
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Komparativs des Adjektivs hart Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs hart

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set härtere and härteste apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
härtere
8 ch
härteste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. härtere ([ˈhɛʁtəʁə]) and härteste ([ˈhɛʁtəstə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50025, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

härtere is recorded at frequency rank #23,568, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtəʁə]. härteste is at rank #26,457, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁtəstə].

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 50025, this pair ranks #1,189,440 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of härtere vs härteste

Shared letters: ehrtä. Private to "härtere": -. Private to "härteste": s.

"härtere" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "härteste" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

härtere#23,568
härteste#26,457

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "härtere" and "härteste" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɛʁtəʁə] versus [ˈhɛʁtəstə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "härtere" or "härteste"?
"härtere" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,568 in our German list, against #26,457 for "härteste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering härtere vs härteste

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “härtere” 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