Which to use
“heftig” and “heilig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,660
- “heftig” frequency rank
- #8,075
- “heilig” frequency rank
- 11735
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | heftig | heilig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit großer Intensität; sehr stark | göttlich, verehrenswürdig, sehr fromm, geweiht |
Where the eye mixes heftig and heilig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. heftig (CVCCVC) and heilig (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses heftig with heilig
A purely visual mix-up. heftig ([ˈhɛftɪç]) and heilig ([ˈhaɪ̯lɪç]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11735, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
heftig is recorded at frequency rank #3,660, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛftɪç]. heilig is at rank #8,075, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhaɪ̯lɪç].
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 11735, this pair ranks #1,968,213 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of heftig vs heilig
Shared letters: eghi. Private to "heftig": ft. Private to "heilig": l.
"heftig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "heilig" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "heftig" and "heilig" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "heftig" or "heilig"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "heftig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "heilig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,968,213 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "heftig" and "heilig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "heftig vs heftigem". 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 #1,968,213 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.