hungvshurtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#35,242
“hung” frequency rank
#43,976
“hurt” frequency rank
79218
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hung hurt
Definition Präteritum (simple past) des Verbs hang 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs huren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hung and hurt apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
hung
4 ch
hurt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

hung and hurt form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79218, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hung is recorded at frequency rank #35,242, classified as averb, pronounced […]. hurt is at rank #43,976, tagged as averb, pronounced [huːɐ̯t].

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 79218, this pair ranks #221,273 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

hung#35,242
hurt#43,976

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hung" and "hurt" be used interchangeably?
No, "hung" and "hurt" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering hung vs hurt

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 “hung” 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