HöhlevsHordeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,271
“Höhle” frequency rank
#17,614
“Horde” frequency rank
22885
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Höhle Horde
Definition durch natürliche Prozesse entstandener, für Menschen zugänglicher hohler Raum in der Erdkruste, der relativ nah an der Oberfläche ist und teilweise oder ganz von Gestein umgeben ist organisierte Gruppe von Individuen (meist Säugetieren), welche sich einen Lebensraum teilen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Höhle and Horde apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Höhle
5 ch
Horde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Höhle ([ˈhøːlə]) and Horde ([ˈhɔʁdə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Höhle is recorded at frequency rank #5,271, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhøːlə]. Horde is at rank #17,614, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɔʁdə].

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 22885, this pair ranks #1,868,483 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Höhle vs Horde

Shared letters: eh. Private to "Höhle": . Private to "Horde": dor.

"Höhle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Horde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Hordehhorde · hodre · hordde · hored · horrde · hrode · ohrde

Frequency comparison

Höhle#5,271
Horde#17,614

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Höhle" and "Horde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhøːlə] versus [ˈhɔʁdə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Höhle" or "Horde"?
"Höhle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,271 in our German list, against #17,614 for "Horde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Höhle vs Horde

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Höhle” 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