Which to use
“Heft” is a noun and “heftig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,743
- “Heft” frequency rank
- #3,660
- “heftig” frequency rank
- 7403
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Heft | heftig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit einem Einband versehene Zusammenheftung von Blättern aus Papier, auf die geschrieben werden kann, vor allem für die Schule | mit großer Intensität; sehr stark |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Heft and heftig 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: Heft is [hɛft] while heftig is [ˈhɛftɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Heft” sits inside “heftig”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7403, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Heft is recorded at frequency rank #3,743, classified as anoun, pronounced [hɛft]. heftig is at rank #3,660, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛftɪç].
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 7403, this pair ranks #1,988,289 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Heft vs heftig
Shared letters: efht. Private to "Heft": -. Private to "heftig": gi.
"Heft" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "heftig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Heft" and "heftig" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Heft" or "heftig"?
Remembering Heft vs heftig
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Heft”; for an adjective, it's “heftig”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Heft” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable