HüllevsHürdeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Hülle” and “Hürde” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,047
“Hülle” frequency rank
#9,739
“Hürde” frequency rank
18786
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Hülle Hürde
Definition die äußere Schicht von etwas 76,20 bis 106,68 cm hohes Hindernis, das in bestimmten Abständen (ungefähr 8,50 bis 35 m) auf der Laufstrecke steht und vom Läufer überwunden werden muss, ohne dass es umfällt

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Hülle
5 ch
Hürde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Hülle ([ˈhʏlə]) and Hürde ([ˈhʏʁdə]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Hülle is recorded at frequency rank #9,047, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhʏlə]. Hürde is at rank #9,739, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhʏʁdə].

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 18786, this pair ranks #1,914,939 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Hülle vs Hürde

Shared letters: ehü. Private to "Hülle": l. Private to "Hürde": dr.

"Hülle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Hürde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

Hülle#9,047
Hürde#9,739

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Hülle" and "Hürde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈhʏlə] versus [ˈhʏʁdə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Hülle" or "Hürde"?
"Hülle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,047 in our German list, against #9,739 for "Hürde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Hülle vs Hürde

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 “Hülle” 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