hastigvsheftigWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,600
“hastig” frequency rank
#3,660
“heftig” frequency rank
35260
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hastig heftig
Definition zu schnell und ohne Sorgfalt, genaue Überlegung oder große Vorbereitung; in großer Eile mit großer Intensität; sehr stark

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hastig and heftig apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
hastig
6 ch
heftig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hastig ([ˈhastɪç]) and heftig ([ˈhɛftɪç]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35260, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hastig is recorded at frequency rank #31,600, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhastɪç]. heftig is at rank #3,660, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛftɪç].

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 35260, this pair ranks #1,644,163 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hastig vs heftig

Shared letters: ghit. Private to "hastig": as. Private to "heftig": ef.

"hastig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "heftig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hastigahstig · hasitg · hasstig · hastgi · hastigg · hasttig · hatsig · hhastig
  • heftigehftig · hefftig · hefitg · heftgi · heftigg · hefttig · hetfig · hfetig

Frequency comparison

hastig#31,600
heftig#3,660

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hastig" and "heftig" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhastɪç] versus [ˈhɛftɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hastig" or "heftig"?
"heftig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,660 in our German list, against #31,600 for "hastig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hastig vs heftig

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 “hastig” 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