HippevsHupeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,897
“Hippe” frequency rank
#34,182
“Hupe” frequency rank
76079
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hippe Hupe
Definition Messer mit sichelförmig geschwungener Klinge, das zum Beispiel zum Abschneiden von Ästen benutzt wird, teilweise als Klappmesser ausgeführt Gegenstand zum Erzeugen eines Warn- oder Signaltones

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Hippe and Hupe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Hippe
4 ch
Hupe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Hippe ([ˈhɪpə]) and Hupe ([ˈhuːpə]) 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 76079, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hippe is recorded at frequency rank #41,897, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɪpə]. Hupe is at rank #34,182, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhuːpə].

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 76079, this pair ranks #292,285 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Hippe vs Hupe

Shared letters: ehp. Private to "Hippe": i. Private to "Hupe": u.

"Hippe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Hupe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hippehhippe · hipe · hipep · hpipe · ihppe
  • Hupehhupe · hpue · huep · huppe · uhpe

Frequency comparison

Hippe#41,897
Hupe#34,182

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hippe" and "Hupe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɪpə] versus [ˈhuːpə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Hippe" or "Hupe"?
"Hupe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,182 in our German list, against #41,897 for "Hippe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hippe vs Hupe

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 “Hippe” 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