Which to use
“hau” is a verb and “hin” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,064
- “hau” frequency rank
- #327
- “hin” frequency rank
- 7391
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hau | hin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Präsens Imperativ Aktiv des Verbs hauen | drückt die Richtung zu einer bestimmten Stelle oder einem Zeitpunkt aus |
Where the eye mixes hau and hin
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses hau with hin
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hau is [haʊ̯] while hin is [hɪn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7391, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hau is recorded at frequency rank #7,064, classified as averb, pronounced [haʊ̯]. hin is at rank #327, tagged as anadv, pronounced [hɪn].
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 7391, this pair ranks #1,988,333 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hau vs hin
Shared letters: h. Private to "hau": au. Private to "hin": in.
"hau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "hin" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hau" and "hin" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "hau" or "hin" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,333 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hau" and "hin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hau vs haze". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,988,333 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.