Which to use
“hebe” is a verb and “herbei” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,284
- “hebe” frequency rank
- #15,117
- “herbei” frequency rank
- 36401
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hebe | herbei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs heben | bezeichnet die Richtung (von irgendwoher) zu einem Objekt und häufig auch zum Sprecher oder Erzähler hin |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hebe and herbei apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hebe is [ˈheːbə] while herbei is [hɛɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36401, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hebe is recorded at frequency rank #21,284, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈheːbə]. herbei is at rank #15,117, tagged as anadv, pronounced [hɛɐ̯ˈbaɪ̯].
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 36401, this pair ranks #1,616,532 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hebe vs herbei
Shared letters: beh. Private to "hebe": -. Private to "herbei": ir.
"hebe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "herbei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hebe" and "herbei" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hebe" or "herbei"?
Remembering hebe vs herbei
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “hebe”; for an adverb, it's “herbei”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hebe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable