hervorhebenvshervorzuhebenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,562
“hervorheben” frequency rank
#15,391
“hervorzuheben” frequency rank
38953
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hervorheben hervorzuheben
Definition etwas im hohen Maße betonen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs hervorheben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hervorheben and hervorzuheben apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
hervorheben
13 ch
hervorzuheben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hervorheben ([hɛɐ̯ˈfoːɐ̯ˌheːbn̩]) and hervorzuheben ([hɛɐ̯ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌheːbn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38953, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hervorheben is recorded at frequency rank #23,562, classified as averb, pronounced [hɛɐ̯ˈfoːɐ̯ˌheːbn̩]. hervorzuheben is at rank #15,391, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɛɐ̯ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌheːbn̩].

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 38953, this pair ranks #1,550,178 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hervorheben vs hervorzuheben

Shared letters: behnorv. Private to "hervorheben": -. Private to "hervorzuheben": uz.

"hervorheben" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCVC  ·  "hervorzuheben" · 13 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hervorhebenehrvorheben · herovrheben · herrvorheben · hervohreben · hervorehben · hervorhbeen · hervorhebben · hervorhebenn
  • hervorzuhebenehrvorzuheben · herovrzuheben · herrvorzuheben · hervorrzuheben · hervoruzheben · hervorzhueben · hervorzuehben · hervorzuhbeen

Frequency comparison

hervorheben#23,562
hervorzuheben#15,391

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hervorheben" and "hervorzuheben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([hɛɐ̯ˈfoːɐ̯ˌheːbn̩] versus [hɛɐ̯ˈfoːɐ̯t͡suˌheːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hervorheben" or "hervorzuheben"?
"hervorzuheben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,391 in our German list, against #23,562 for "hervorheben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hervorheben vs hervorzuheben

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 “hervorheben” 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