Which to use
“höre” and “hörten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,115
- “höre” frequency rank
- #11,457
- “hörten” frequency rank
- 13572
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | höre | hörten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs hören | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs hören |
Where the eye mixes höre and hörten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. höre runs 4 letters (CVCV) against hörten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses höre with hörten
A purely visual mix-up. höre ([ˈhøːʁə]) and hörten ([ˈhøːɐ̯tn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13572, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
höre is recorded at frequency rank #2,115, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈhøːʁə]. 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 13572, this pair ranks #1,957,125 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of höre vs hörten
Shared letters: ehrö. Private to "höre": -. Private to "hörten": nt.
"höre" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "hörten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "höre" and "hörten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "höre" or "hörten" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "höre" and "hörten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "höre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hörten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,957,125 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "höre" and "hörten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "harren vs hörten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,957,125 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.