hemmenvsHetzenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#34,161
“hemmen” frequency rank
#13,859
“Hetzen” frequency rank
48020
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hemmen Hetzen
Definition etwas hindern Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hetze

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hemmen and Hetzen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
hemmen
6 ch
Hetzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hemmen is [ˈhɛmən] while Hetzen is [ˈhɛt͡sn̩]. 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 48020, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hemmen is recorded at frequency rank #34,161, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɛmən]. Hetzen is at rank #13,859, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɛt͡sn̩].

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 48020, this pair ranks #1,263,740 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hemmen vs Hetzen

Shared letters: ehn. Private to "hemmen": m. Private to "Hetzen": tz.

"hemmen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Hetzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hemmenehmmen · hememn · hemen · hemmenn · hemmne · hhemmen · hmemen
  • Hetzenehtzen · hetezn · hettzen · hetzenn · hetzne · hetzzen · hezten · hhetzen

Frequency comparison

hemmen#34,161
Hetzen#13,859

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hemmen" and "Hetzen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hemmen" is a verb and "Hetzen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hemmen" or "Hetzen"?
"Hetzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,859 in our German list, against #34,161 for "hemmen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hemmen vs Hetzen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “hemmen”; for a noun, it's “Hetzen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hemmen” 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