HerdevsHürdenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,505
“Herde” frequency rank
#10,493
“Hürden” frequency rank
22998
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Herde Hürden
Definition Gruppe von meist größeren Säugetieren der gleichen Art, die im losen oder sozialisierten Verband (mit Ausbildung einer Rangordnung) leben; Gruppen von flugunfähigen Vögeln und Gruppen verschiedener Arten kommen ebenfalls in Herden vor Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Hürde

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Herde
6 ch
Hürden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Herde ([ˈheːɐ̯də]) and Hürden ([ˈhʏʁdn̩]) 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 22998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Herde is recorded at frequency rank #12,505, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈheːɐ̯də]. Hürden is at rank #10,493, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhʏʁdn̩].

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 22998, this pair ranks #1,867,035 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Herde vs Hürden

Shared letters: dehr. Private to "Herde": -. Private to "Hürden": .

"Herde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Hürden" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Herdeehrde · hedre · herdde · hered · herrde · hherde · hrede

Frequency comparison

Herde#12,505
Hürden#10,493

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Herde" and "Hürden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈheːɐ̯də] versus [ˈhʏʁdn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Herde" or "Hürden"?
"Hürden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,493 in our German list, against #12,505 for "Herde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Herde vs Hürden

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 “Herde” 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