HemervsHexeConfusable pair

Quick tell: Hemer is a name, Hexe is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Hemer” is a name and “Hexe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#49,776
“Hemer” frequency rank
#11,254
“Hexe” frequency rank
61030
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hemer Hexe
Definition Stadt in Deutschland, im Sauerland weibliches, bösgesinntes und dämonisches Märchen- oder Sagenwesen zumeist in Gestalt einer hässlichen, zauberkräftigen Greisin mit einem Buckel und einer langen, krummen Nase, die Schadenszauber auf den Menschen ausüben kann und mit dem Teufel durch einen Pakt oder Buhlschaft verbündet ist

Where the eye mixes Hemer and Hexe

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Hemer
4 ch
Hexe

Why the eye confuses Hemer with Hexe

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Hemer is [ˈheːmɐ] while Hexe is [ˈhɛksə]. 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 (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hemer is recorded at frequency rank #49,776, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈheːmɐ]. Hexe is at rank #11,254, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɛksə].

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 61030, this pair ranks #764,881 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Hemer vs Hexe

Shared letters: eh. Private to "Hemer": mr. Private to "Hexe": x.

"Hemer" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Hexe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hemerehmer · heemr · hemerr · hemre · hhemer · hmeer
  • Hexeehxe · heex · hexxe · hhexe · hxee

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hemer" and "Hexe" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Hemer" is a name and "Hexe" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Hemer" vs "Hexe" - which ranks higher?
"Hexe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,254 in our German list, against #49,776 for "Hemer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Hemer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Hexe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #764,881 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Hemer" and "Hexe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "heel vs Hemer". 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 #764,881 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list