hingenvshinlegenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,606
“hingen” frequency rank
#17,031
“hinlegen” frequency rank
36637
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hingen hinlegen
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs hängen etwas an einen bestimmten Ort legen, nicht mehr tragen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
hingen
8 ch
hinlegen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hingen ([ˈhɪŋən]) and hinlegen ([ˈhɪnˌleːɡn̩]) 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 36637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hingen is recorded at frequency rank #19,606, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɪŋən]. hinlegen is at rank #17,031, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɪnˌleːɡn̩].

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 36637, this pair ranks #1,610,481 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hingen vs hinlegen

Shared letters: eghin. Private to "hingen": -. Private to "hinlegen": l.

"hingen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "hinlegen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hingenhhingen · hignen · hinegn · hingenn · hinggen · hingne · hinngen · hnigen
  • hinlegenhhinlegen · hilnegen · hinelgen · hinleegn · hinlegenn · hinleggen · hinlegne · hinlgeen

Frequency comparison

hingen#19,606
hinlegen#17,031

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hingen" and "hinlegen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɪŋən] versus [ˈhɪnˌleːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hingen" or "hinlegen"?
"hinlegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,031 in our German list, against #19,606 for "hingen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hingen vs hinlegen

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 “hingen” 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