Which to use
“hoffen” and “hofft” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,811
- “hoffen” frequency rank
- #6,669
- “hofft” frequency rank
- 8480
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hoffen | hofft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zuversichtlich erwarten, in die Zukunft vertrauen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hoffen |
Where the eye mixes hoffen and hofft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: hoffen vs hofft
A purely visual mix-up. hoffen ([ˈhɔfn̩]) and hofft ([hɔft]) 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 8480, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hoffen is recorded at frequency rank #1,811, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhɔfn̩]. hofft is at rank #6,669, tagged as averb, pronounced [hɔft].
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 8480, this pair ranks #1,984,101 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hoffen vs hofft
Shared letters: fho. Private to "hoffen": en. Private to "hofft": t.
"hoffen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hofft" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hoffen" and "hofft" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hoffen" or "hofft"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "hoffen" and "hofft" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "hoffen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hofft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,984,101 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hoffen" and "hofft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hoffst vs hofft". 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 #1,984,101 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.