HeckvsHockeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,449
“Heck” frequency rank
#35,239
“Hocke” frequency rank
46688
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Heck Hocke
Definition hinterer Teil eines Fahrzeugs (bei Autos, Flugzeugen, Schiffen) Heu- oder Getreidehaufen, der zum Trocknen und Nachreifen aufgestellt wird

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Heck and Hocke apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Heck
5 ch
Hocke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Heck ([hɛk]) and Hocke ([ˈhɔkə]) 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 46688, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Heck is recorded at frequency rank #11,449, classified as anoun, pronounced [hɛk]. Hocke is at rank #35,239, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɔkə].

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 46688, this pair ranks #1,310,472 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Heck vs Hocke

Shared letters: cehk. Private to "Heck": -. Private to "Hocke": o.

"Heck" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Hocke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Heckehck · hcek · hecck · heckk · hekc · hheck
  • Hockehcoke · hhocke · hoccke · hocek · hockke · hokce · ohcke

Frequency comparison

Heck#11,449
Hocke#35,239

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Heck" and "Hocke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([hɛk] versus [ˈhɔkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Heck" or "Hocke"?
"Heck" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,449 in our German list, against #35,239 for "Hocke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Heck vs Hocke

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 “Heck” 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