hinsehenvshinsetzenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,295
“hinsehen” frequency rank
#19,607
“hinsetzen” frequency rank
39902
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hinsehen hinsetzen
Definition den Blick auf ein bestimmtes Ziel richten sich in eine sitzende Position bringen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hinsehen and hinsetzen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
hinsehen
9 ch
hinsetzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hinsehen ([ˈhɪnˌzeːən]) and hinsetzen ([ˈhɪnˌzɛt͡sn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39902, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hinsehen is recorded at frequency rank #20,295, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɪnˌzeːən]. hinsetzen is at rank #19,607, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɪnˌzɛt͡sn̩].

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 39902, this pair ranks #1,523,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hinsehen vs hinsetzen

Shared letters: ehins. Private to "hinsehen": -. Private to "hinsetzen": tz.

"hinsehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "hinsetzen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hinsehenhhinsehen · hineshen · hinnsehen · hinseehn · hinsehenn · hinsehhen · hinsehne · hinsheen
  • hinsetzenhhinsetzen · hinestzen · hinnsetzen · hinsetezn · hinsettzen · hinsetzenn · hinsetzne · hinsetzzen

Frequency comparison

hinsehen#20,295
hinsetzen#19,607

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hinsehen" and "hinsetzen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɪnˌzeːən] versus [ˈhɪnˌzɛt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hinsehen" or "hinsetzen"?
"hinsetzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,607 in our German list, against #20,295 for "hinsehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hinsehen vs hinsetzen

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 “hinsehen” 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