Which to use
“Hemd” and “Heu” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,667
- “Hemd” frequency rank
- #17,327
- “Heu” frequency rank
- 23994
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Hemd | Heu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Teil der Oberbekleidung für den Oberkörper, vor allem für Männer | getrocknetes Gras; in der Sprache der Landwirtschaft insbesondere der erste Grasschnitt |
Where the eye mixes Hemd and Heu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Hemd with Heu
A purely visual mix-up. Hemd ([hɛmt]) and Heu ([hɔɪ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23994, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Hemd is recorded at frequency rank #6,667, classified as anoun, pronounced [hɛmt]. Heu is at rank #17,327, tagged as anoun, pronounced [hɔɪ̯].
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 23994, this pair ranks #1,853,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Hemd vs Heu
Shared letters: eh. Private to "Hemd": dm. Private to "Heu": u.
"Hemd" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Heu" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Hemd ← ehmd · hedm · hemdd · hemmd · hhemd · hmed
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Hemd" and "Heu" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Hemd" vs "Heu" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Hemd" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Heu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,853,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Hemd" and "Heu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "heel vs Heu". 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 #1,853,750 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.