Which to use
“herbe” is an adjective and “Hexe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,086
- “herbe” frequency rank
- #11,254
- “Hexe” frequency rank
- 43340
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | herbe | Hexe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs herb | 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 spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set herbe and Hexe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
herbe and Hexe form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43340, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
herbe is recorded at frequency rank #32,086, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhɛʁbə]. 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 43340, this pair ranks #1,421,164 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "herbe" and "Hexe" be used interchangeably?
Remembering herbe vs Hexe
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “herbe”; for a noun, it's “Hexe”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “herbe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable