hörvsHörerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hör is a verb, Hörer is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hör” is a verb and “Hörer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,601
“hör” frequency rank
#11,260
“Hörer” frequency rank
13861
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hör Hörer
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hören Person, die einem Radioprogramm oder sonstigen Sprechern zuhört

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
hör
5 ch
Hörer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hör is [høːɐ̯] while Hörer is [ˈhøːʁɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “hör” sits inside “Hörer”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13861, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hör is recorded at frequency rank #2,601, classified as averb, pronounced [høːɐ̯]. Hörer is at rank #11,260, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhøːʁɐ].

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 13861, this pair ranks #1,955,168 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hör vs Hörer

Shared letters: hrö. Private to "hör": -. Private to "Hörer": e.

"hör" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Hörer" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

hör#2,601
Hörer#11,260

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hör" and "Hörer" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hör" is a verb and "Hörer" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hör" or "Hörer"?
"hör" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,601 in our German list, against #11,260 for "Hörer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hör vs Hörer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “hör”; for a noun, it's “Hörer”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hör” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list