hilftvshinktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#994
“hilft” frequency rank
#26,051
“hinkt” frequency rank
27045
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hilft hinkt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs helfen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hinken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hilft and hinkt apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
hilft
5 ch
hinkt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hilft ([hɪlft]) and hinkt ([hɪŋkt]) 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 27045, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hilft is recorded at frequency rank #994, classified as averb, pronounced [hɪlft]. hinkt is at rank #26,051, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɪŋkt].

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 27045, this pair ranks #1,808,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hilft vs hinkt

Shared letters: hit. Private to "hilft": fl. Private to "hinkt": kn.

"hilft" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "hinkt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hilfthhilft · hiflt · hilfft · hilftt · hillft · hiltf · hlift · ihlft
  • hinkthhinkt · hiknt · hinkkt · hinktt · hinnkt · hintk · hnikt · ihnkt

Frequency comparison

hilft#994
hinkt#26,051

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hilft" and "hinkt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([hɪlft] versus [hɪŋkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hilft" or "hinkt"?
"hilft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #994 in our German list, against #26,051 for "hinkt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hilft vs hinkt

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 “hilft” 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