hörevshörtenWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set höre and hörten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
höre
6 ch
hörten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

höre#2,115
hörten#11,457

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "höre" and "hörten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhøːʁə] versus [ˈhøːɐ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "höre" or "hörten"?
"höre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,115 in our German list, against #11,457 for "hörten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering höre vs hörten

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 “höre” 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