Which to use
“hoffe” and “hoffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #716
- “hoffe” frequency rank
- #1,811
- “hoffen” frequency rank
- 2527
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hoffe | hoffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hoffen | zuversichtlich erwarten, in die Zukunft vertrauen |
Where the eye mixes hoffe and hoffen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: hoffe vs hoffen
A purely visual mix-up. hoffe ([ˈhɔfə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “hoffe” sits inside “hoffen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2527, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hoffe is recorded at frequency rank #716, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɔfə]. 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 2527, this pair ranks #2,002,140 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hoffe vs hoffen
Shared letters: efho. Private to "hoffe": -. Private to "hoffen": n.
"hoffe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "hoffen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "hoffe" and "hoffen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "hoffe" vs "hoffen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "hoffe" 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 #2,002,140 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hoffe" and "hoffen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hoffen vs hoffst". 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 #2,002,140 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.