Which to use
“heilen” is a verb and “herben” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,930
- “heilen” frequency rank
- #40,593
- “herben” frequency rank
- 48523
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | heilen | herben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden gesund machen, eine Krankheit, ein Leiden beseitigen, heil machen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs herb |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set heilen and herben 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: heilen is [ˈhaɪ̯lən] while herben is [ˈhɛʁbn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
heilen is recorded at frequency rank #7,930, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhaɪ̯lən]. herben is at rank #40,593, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁbn̩].
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 48523, this pair ranks #1,245,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of heilen vs herben
Shared letters: ehn. Private to "heilen": il. Private to "herben": br.
"heilen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "herben" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "heilen" and "herben" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "heilen" or "herben"?
Remembering heilen vs herben
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “heilen”; for an adjective, it's “herben”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “heilen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable