hockenvshoffenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,298
“hocken” frequency rank
#1,811
“hoffen” frequency rank
22109
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hocken hoffen
Definition mit stark angewinkelten Knien aufrecht sitzen zuversichtlich erwarten, in die Zukunft vertrauen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hocken and hoffen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
hocken
6 ch
hoffen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hocken ([ˈhɔkn̩]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22109, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hocken is recorded at frequency rank #20,298, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɔkn̩]. 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 22109, this pair ranks #1,878,184 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hocken vs hoffen

Shared letters: ehno. Private to "hocken": ck. Private to "hoffen": f.

"hocken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "hoffen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hockenhcoken · hhocken · hoccken · hocekn · hockenn · hockken · hockne · hokcen
  • hoffenhfofen · hhoffen · hofefn · hofen · hoffenn · hoffne · ohffen

Frequency comparison

hocken#20,298
hoffen#1,811

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hocken" and "hoffen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhɔkn̩] versus [ˈhɔfn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hocken" or "hoffen"?
"hoffen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,811 in our German list, against #20,298 for "hocken". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering hocken vs hoffen

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 “hocken” 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