herkommenvshinkommenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,253
“herkommen” frequency rank
#25,595
“hinkommen” frequency rank
36848
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature herkommen hinkommen
Definition in Richtung auf die sprechende Person kommen zu einem Ort, einer Stelle gelangen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set herkommen and hinkommen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
herkommen
9 ch
hinkommen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. herkommen ([ˈheːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]) and hinkommen ([ˈhɪnˌkɔmən]) 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 36848, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

herkommen is recorded at frequency rank #11,253, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈheːɐ̯ˌkɔmən]. hinkommen is at rank #25,595, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɪnˌkɔmən].

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 36848, this pair ranks #1,605,193 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of herkommen vs hinkommen

Shared letters: ehkmno. Private to "herkommen": r. Private to "hinkommen": i.

"herkommen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "hinkommen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • herkommenehrkommen · hekrommen · herkkommen · herkmomen · herkomemn · herkomen · herkommenn · herkommne
  • hinkommenhhinkommen · hiknommen · hinkkommen · hinkmomen · hinkomemn · hinkomen · hinkommenn · hinkommne

Frequency comparison

herkommen#11,253
hinkommen#25,595

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "herkommen" and "hinkommen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈheːɐ̯ˌkɔmən] versus [ˈhɪnˌkɔmən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "herkommen" or "hinkommen"?
"herkommen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,253 in our German list, against #25,595 for "hinkommen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering herkommen vs hinkommen

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 “herkommen” 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