härten

[ˈhɛʁtn̩]

/[ˈhɛʁtn̩]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“härten” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #47,493. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,493
frequency rank, German
3,372
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - transitiv:

Corpus desk

Index DE-harten · härten · German

härten · rank #47,493 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,493
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,372
  • PHOTO-FINISH hämmert

Nearest frequency peer: hämmert (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „härten“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „härten“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

härten vs hatte
50% similar
härten vs hören
67% similar
härten vs hörte
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for härten
PropertyValue
Headwordhärten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈhɛʁtn̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#47,493
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „härten“

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.härtenliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „hämmert“ (#47,492), „Hündchen“ (#47,494), „hygienische“ (#47,491). Unter 3,372 „H“-Lemmata liegt „härten“ bei #47,493. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around härten (IPA [ˈhɛʁtn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #47,493 among 3,372 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for härten, with forms such as "hhärten", "hräten", and "häretn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hatte", "hören", "hörte", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is härten, spelled H-Ä-R-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    transitiv:
  2. 2
    etwas stark oder steif machen
  3. 3
    intransitiv:
  4. 4
    stark oder steif werden
  5. 5
    reflexiv:
  6. 6
    sich widerstandsfähig machen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how härten appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Viele Stahlsorten werden durch Legieren gehärtet.
  2. Die Tonvasen härten erst bei hoher Temperatur.

Synonyms

stärkenversteifenerhärtenabhärtenstählen

This word in other languages

temper(English)endurecer(Español)durcir(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhärten
  • hräten
  • häretn
  • härrten
  • härtenn
  • härtne
  • härtten
  • hätren
  • ährten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of härten - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hhärten1hräten2häretn2härrten1härtenn1härtne2härtten1hätren2
Edit distance from "härten"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "härten"?
"härten" is spelled H-Ä-R-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhɛʁtn̩].
What does "härten" mean?
As a verb, "härten" means: transitiv:
What words are commonly confused with "härten"?
"härten" is commonly confused with "hatte", "hören", "hörte". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "härten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "härten" is [ˈhɛʁtn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "härten" come from?
"härten" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "härten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kadett#47,514Kafkas#47,515Grille#47,461golfen#47,456

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

hämmert9 variantsItalian9 variantsKastell9 variantsknurren9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list