Which to use
“horch” and “hören” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,904
- “horch” frequency rank
- #702
- “hören” frequency rank
- 42606
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | horch | hören |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs horchen | mit den Ohren |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set horch and hören apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. horch ([hɔʁç]) and hören ([ˈhøːʁən]) 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 42606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
horch is recorded at frequency rank #41,904, classified as averb, pronounced [hɔʁç]. hören is at rank #702, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈhøːʁən].
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 42606, this pair ranks #1,444,187 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of horch vs hören
Shared letters: hr. Private to "horch": co. Private to "hören": enö.
"horch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "hören" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- horch ← hhorch · hocrh · horcch · horchh · horhc · horrch · hroch · ohrch
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "horch" and "hören" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "horch" or "hören"?
Remembering horch vs hören
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 “horch” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable