Which to use
“hinten” is an adverb and “hinter” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,393
- “hinten” frequency rank
- #410
- “hinter” frequency rank
- 1803
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hinten | hinter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Ort, die Richtung betreffend auf der abgewandten, nicht einsehbaren Seite, rückwärtig, rückseitig; der Ort, die Richtung, die die Gegenseite des Gesichts, den Hinterkopf beim menschlichen Körper angibt | in Richtung der Rückseite von etwas entfernt |
Where the eye mixes hinten and hinter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses hinten with hinter
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hinten is [ˈhɪntn̩] while hinter is [ˈhɪntɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “hinten” becomes r in “hinter”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1803, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hinten is recorded at frequency rank #1,393, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈhɪntn̩]. hinter is at rank #410, tagged as aprep, pronounced [ˈhɪntɐ].
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 1803, this pair ranks #2,003,706 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hinten vs hinter
Shared letters: ehint. Private to "hinten": -. Private to "hinter": r.
"hinten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hinter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hinten" for "hinter" ever safe?
Frequency check: "hinten" vs "hinter" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hinten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hinter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,003,706 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hinten" and "hinter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Häuten vs hinten". 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 #2,003,706 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.