Which to use
“hingen” and “hissen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,606
- “hingen” frequency rank
- #43,966
- “hissen” frequency rank
- 63572
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hingen | hissen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs hängen | eine Flagge oder ein Segel am Mast nach oben ziehen |
Where the eye mixes hingen and hissen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. hingen and hissen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses hingen with hissen
A purely visual mix-up. hingen ([ˈhɪŋən]) and hissen ([ˈhɪsn̩]) 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 63572, 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]. hissen is at rank #43,966, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɪsn̩].
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 63572, this pair ranks #672,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hingen vs hissen
Shared letters: ehin. Private to "hingen": g. Private to "hissen": s.
"hingen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hissen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hingen" for "hissen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "hingen" vs "hissen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hingen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hissen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #672,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hingen" and "hissen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hasser vs hissen". 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 #672,014 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.