hoffstvshoffteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#48,225
“hoffst” frequency rank
#10,873
“hoffte” frequency rank
59098
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hoffst hoffte
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hoffen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs hoffen

Where the eye mixes hoffst and hoffte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
hoffst
6 ch
hoffte

Look-alike desk: hoffst vs hoffte

A purely visual mix-up. hoffst ([hɔfst]) and hoffte ([ˈhɔftə]) 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 59098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hoffst is recorded at frequency rank #48,225, classified as averb, pronounced [hɔfst]. hoffte is at rank #10,873, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhɔftə].

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 59098, this pair ranks #837,415 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hoffst vs hoffte

Shared letters: fhot. Private to "hoffst": s. Private to "hoffte": e.

"hoffst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "hoffte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hoffsthfofst · hhoffst · hoffsst · hoffstt · hoffts · hofsft · hofst · ohffst
  • hofftehfofte · hhoffte · hoffet · hofftte · hofte · hoftfe · ohffte

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "hoffst" for "hoffte" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([hɔfst] versus [ˈhɔftə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hoffst" or "hoffte"?
"hoffte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,873 in our German list, against #48,225 for "hoffst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "hoffst" and "hoffte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "hoffst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "hoffte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #837,415 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "hoffst" and "hoffte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hilfst 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 #837,415 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list