Which to use
“hej” is an intj and “Herz” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,213
- “hej” frequency rank
- #794
- “Herz” frequency rank
- 49007
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hej | Herz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | informelle Grußformel | das Zentralorgan für den Blutkreislauf |
Where the eye mixes hej and Herz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. hej runs 3 letters (CVC) against Herz's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses hej with Herz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hej is [haɪ] while Herz is [hɛʁt͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49007, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hej is recorded at frequency rank #48,213, classified as anintj, pronounced [haɪ]. Herz is at rank #794, tagged as anoun, pronounced [hɛʁt͡s].
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 49007, this pair ranks #1,227,506 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hej vs Herz
Shared letters: eh. Private to "hej": j. Private to "Herz": rz.
"hej" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Herz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Herz ← ehrz · herrz · herzz · hezr · hherz · hrez
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hej" and "Herz" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hej" or "Herz"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hej" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Herz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,227,506 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hej" and "Herz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "heel vs hej". 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 #1,227,506 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.