Which to use
“Herr” and “Hexe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #489
- “Herr” frequency rank
- #11,254
- “Hexe” frequency rank
- 11743
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Herr | Hexe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | höfliche Bezeichnung für einen Mann | 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 eye mixes Herr and Hexe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Herr vs Hexe
A purely visual mix-up. Herr ([hɛʁ]) and Hexe ([ˈhɛksə]) 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 11743, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Herr is recorded at frequency rank #489, classified as anoun, pronounced [hɛʁ]. 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 11743, this pair ranks #1,968,169 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Herr vs Hexe
Shared letters: eh. Private to "Herr": r. Private to "Hexe": x.
"Herr" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Hexe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Herr" for "Hexe" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Herr" vs "Hexe" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Herr" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Hexe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,968,169 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Herr" and "Hexe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hemer vs Hexe". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,968,169 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.