herankommenvsherkommenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“herankommen” and “herkommen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#38,174
“herankommen” frequency rank
#11,253
“herkommen” frequency rank
49427
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature herankommen herkommen
Definition sich nähern, auf jemanden oder etwas zukommen in Richtung auf die sprechende Person kommen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set herankommen and herkommen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
herankommen
9 ch
herkommen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. herankommen ([hɛˈʁanˌkɔmən]) and herkommen ([ˈheːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49427, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

herankommen is recorded at frequency rank #38,174, classified as averb, pronounced [hɛˈʁanˌkɔmən]. herkommen is at rank #11,253, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈheːɐ̯ˌkɔmən].

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 49427, this pair ranks #1,211,920 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of herankommen vs herkommen

Shared letters: ehkmnor. Private to "herankommen": a. Private to "herkommen": -.

"herankommen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC  ·  "herkommen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • herankommenehrankommen · hearnkommen · heraknommen · herankkommen · herankmomen · herankomemn · herankomen · herankommenn
  • herkommenehrkommen · hekrommen · herkkommen · herkmomen · herkomemn · herkomen · herkommenn · herkommne

Frequency comparison

herankommen#38,174
herkommen#11,253

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "herankommen" and "herkommen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([hɛˈʁanˌkɔmən] versus [ˈheːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "herankommen" or "herkommen"?
"herkommen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,253 in our German list, against #38,174 for "herankommen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering herankommen vs herkommen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “herankommen” 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