höhervshöreWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: höher is a adjective, höre is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“höher” is an adjective and “höre” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,664
“höher” frequency rank
#2,115
“höre” frequency rank
3779
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature höher höre
Definition Prädikative und adverbielle Form des Komparativs des Adjektivs hoch 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hören

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set höher and höre apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
höher
4 ch
höre

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: höher is [ˈhøːɐ] while höre is [ˈhøːʁə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3779, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

höher is recorded at frequency rank #1,664, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈhøːɐ]. höre is at rank #2,115, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhøːʁə].

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 3779, this pair ranks #1,999,391 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of höher vs höre

Shared letters: ehrö. Private to "höher": -. Private to "höre": -.

"höher" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "höre" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Frequency comparison

höher#1,664
höre#2,115

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "höher" and "höre" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "höher" is an adjective and "höre" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "höher" or "höre"?
"höher" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,664 in our German list, against #2,115 for "höre". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering höher vs höre

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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