hinterfragenvshinterfragtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,674
“hinterfragen” frequency rank
#17,610
“hinterfragt” frequency rank
29284
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hinterfragen hinterfragt
Definition überlegen und/oder herausfinden, ob eine Aussage wahr beziehungsweise glaubhaft ist oder welche Intention oder Gründe hinter einer Aussage oder Handlung stehen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs hinterfragen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hinterfragen and hinterfragt apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
hinterfragen
11 ch
hinterfragt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hinterfragen ([hɪntɐˈfʁaːɡn̩]) and hinterfragt ([hɪntɐˈfʁaːkt]) 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 29284, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hinterfragen is recorded at frequency rank #11,674, classified as averb, pronounced [hɪntɐˈfʁaːɡn̩]. hinterfragt is at rank #17,610, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɪntɐˈfʁaːkt].

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 29284, this pair ranks #1,769,720 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hinterfragen vs hinterfragt

Shared letters: aefghinrt. Private to "hinterfragen": -. Private to "hinterfragt": -.

"hinterfragen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCVC  ·  "hinterfragt" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hinterfragenhhinterfragen · hinetrfragen · hinnterfragen · hintefrragen · hinterfargen · hinterffragen · hinterfraegn · hinterfragenn
  • hinterfragthhinterfragt · hinetrfragt · hinnterfragt · hintefrragt · hinterfargt · hinterffragt · hinterfraggt · hinterfragtt

Frequency comparison

hinterfragen#11,674
hinterfragt#17,610

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hinterfragen" and "hinterfragt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([hɪntɐˈfʁaːɡn̩] versus [hɪntɐˈfʁaːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hinterfragen" or "hinterfragt"?
"hinterfragen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,674 in our German list, against #17,610 for "hinterfragt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hinterfragen vs hinterfragt

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 “hinterfragen” 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