hergebenvshingebenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,013
“hergeben” frequency rank
#30,114
“hingeben” frequency rank
52127
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hergeben hingeben
Definition jemandem etwas reichen in die Richtung, in den Besitz von jemandem etwas überreichen, übergeben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hergeben and hingeben apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
hergeben
8 ch
hingeben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hergeben ([ˈheːɐ̯ˌɡeːbn̩]) and hingeben ([ˈhɪnˌɡeːbn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52127, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hergeben is recorded at frequency rank #22,013, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈheːɐ̯ˌɡeːbn̩]. hingeben is at rank #30,114, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɪnˌɡeːbn̩].

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 52127, this pair ranks #1,108,986 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hergeben vs hingeben

Shared letters: beghn. Private to "hergeben": r. Private to "hingeben": i.

"hergeben" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "hingeben" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hergebenehrgeben · hegreben · heregben · hergbeen · hergebben · hergebenn · hergebne · hergeebn
  • hingebenhhingeben · higneben · hinegben · hingbeen · hingebben · hingebenn · hingebne · hingeebn

Frequency comparison

hergeben#22,013
hingeben#30,114

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hergeben" and "hingeben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈheːɐ̯ˌɡeːbn̩] versus [ˈhɪnˌɡeːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hergeben" or "hingeben"?
"hergeben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,013 in our German list, against #30,114 for "hingeben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hergeben vs hingeben

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 “hergeben” 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