hebtvshetztConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#5,377
“hebt” frequency rank
#23,563
“hetzt” frequency rank
28940
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hebt hetzt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs heben 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hetzen

Where the eye mixes hebt and hetzt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
hebt
5 ch
hetzt

Look-alike desk: hebt vs hetzt

A purely visual mix-up. hebt ([heːpt]) and hetzt ([hɛt͡st]) 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 28940, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hebt is recorded at frequency rank #5,377, classified as averb, pronounced [heːpt]. hetzt is at rank #23,563, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɛt͡st].

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 28940, this pair ranks #1,775,845 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hebt vs hetzt

Shared letters: eht. Private to "hebt": b. Private to "hetzt": z.

"hebt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "hetzt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hebtehbt · hbet · hebbt · hebtt · hetb · hhebt
  • hetztehtzt · hettz · hettzt · hetztt · hetzzt · heztt · hhetzt · htezt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hebt" and "hetzt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([heːpt] versus [hɛt͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hebt" or "hetzt"?
"hebt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,377 in our German list, against #23,563 for "hetzt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "hebt" and "hetzt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "hebt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "hetzt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,775,845 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "hebt" and "hetzt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hetzt vs hütet". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,775,845 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list