Which to use
“hoben” and “hoffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,101
- “hoben” frequency rank
- #1,811
- “hoffen” frequency rank
- 32912
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hoben | hoffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs heben | zuversichtlich erwarten, in die Zukunft vertrauen |
Where the eye mixes hoben and hoffen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between hoben and hoffen
A purely visual mix-up. hoben ([ˈhoːbn̩]) and hoffen ([ˈhɔfn̩]) 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 32912, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hoben is recorded at frequency rank #31,101, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhoːbn̩]. hoffen is at rank #1,811, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɔfn̩].
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 32912, this pair ranks #1,697,363 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hoben vs hoffen
Shared letters: ehno. Private to "hoben": b. Private to "hoffen": f.
"hoben" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "hoffen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hoben" for "hoffen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "hoben" vs "hoffen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hoben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hoffen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,697,363 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hoben" and "hoffen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hoben vs Hörern". 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 #1,697,363 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.