HeervsHemmerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,963
“Heer” frequency rank
#43,955
“Hemmer” frequency rank
49918
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Heer Hemmer
Definition Gesamtheit der Landstreitkräfte eines Staates etwas, das eine Reaktion verhindert oder zumindest abbremst

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Heer
6 ch
Hemmer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Heer ([heːɐ̯]) and Hemmer ([ˈhɛmɐ]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49918, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Heer is recorded at frequency rank #5,963, classified as anoun, pronounced [heːɐ̯]. Hemmer is at rank #43,955, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɛmɐ].

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 49918, this pair ranks #1,193,464 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Heer vs Hemmer

Shared letters: ehr. Private to "Heer": -. Private to "Hemmer": m.

"Heer" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Hemmer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Heerheerr · hheer
  • Hemmerehmmer · hememr · hemmerr · hemmre · hhemmer · hmemer

Frequency comparison

Heer#5,963
Hemmer#43,955

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Heer" and "Hemmer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([heːɐ̯] versus [ˈhɛmɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Heer" or "Hemmer"?
"Heer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,963 in our German list, against #43,955 for "Hemmer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Heer vs Hemmer

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 “Heer” 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