Which to use
“Höhlen” is a noun and “hörten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,311
- “Höhlen” frequency rank
- #11,457
- “hörten” frequency rank
- 23768
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Höhlen | hörten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Höhle | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs hören |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Höhlen and hörten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Höhlen is [ˈhøːlən] while hörten is [ˈhøːɐ̯tn̩]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Höhlen is recorded at frequency rank #12,311, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhøːlən]. hörten is at rank #11,457, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhøːɐ̯tn̩].
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 23768, this pair ranks #1,856,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Höhlen vs hörten
Shared letters: ehnö. Private to "Höhlen": l. Private to "hörten": rt.
"Höhlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hörten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Höhlen" and "hörten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Höhlen" or "hörten"?
Remembering Höhlen vs hörten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Höhlen”; for a verb, it's “hörten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Höhlen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable