helfevshellsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: helfe is a verb, hells is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“helfe” is a verb and “hells” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,563
“helfe” frequency rank
#34,160
“hells” frequency rank
43723
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature helfe hells
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs helfen Plural des Substantivs hell

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set helfe and hells apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
helfe
5 ch
hells

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: helfe is [ˈhɛlfə] while hells is [hɛlz]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43723, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

helfe is recorded at frequency rank #9,563, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛlfə]. hells is at rank #34,160, tagged as anoun, pronounced [hɛlz].

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 43723, this pair ranks #1,408,971 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of helfe vs hells

Shared letters: ehl. Private to "helfe": f. Private to "hells": s.

"helfe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "hells" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • helfeehlfe · hefle · helef · helffe · hellfe · hhelfe · hlefe
  • hellsehlls · hellss · helsl · hhells · hlels

Frequency comparison

helfe#9,563
hells#34,160

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "helfe" and "hells" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "helfe" is a verb and "hells" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "helfe" or "hells"?
"helfe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,563 in our German list, against #34,160 for "hells". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering helfe vs hells

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “helfe”; for a noun, it's “hells”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “helfe” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list