höhvshowWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: höh is a verb, how is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“höh” is a verb and “how” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#48,239
“höh” frequency rank
#4,899
“how” frequency rank
53138
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature höh how
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs höhen nach der Methode fragend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set höh and how apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
höh
3 ch
how

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: höh is [høː] while how is [haʊ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53138, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

höh is recorded at frequency rank #48,239, classified as averb, pronounced [høː]. how is at rank #4,899, tagged as anadv, pronounced [haʊ].

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 53138, this pair ranks #1,069,733 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of höh vs how

Shared letters: h. Private to "höh": ö. Private to "how": ow.

"höh" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "how" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

höh#48,239
how#4,899

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "höh" and "how" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "höh" is a verb and "how" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "höh" or "how"?
"how" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,899 in our German list, against #48,239 for "höh". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering höh vs how

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “höh”; for an adverb, it's “how”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “höh” 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