verb

heißen

be called · call · welcome

Dieses Verb benutzt man, wenn man nach dem Namen von jemandem fragt oder seinen eigenen Namen sagt.

Definition & meaning

heißen is a German verb with several related meanings:

To be called or named
Ich heiße Anna means “My name is Anna” or literally “I am called Anna.”
Wie heißt du? means “What is your name?”
To mean or signify
Was heißt dieses Wort? means “What does this word mean?”
To be said or reported
In the expression Es heißt, dass …, it means “It is said/reported that …”
For example, Es heißt, dass der Zug später kommt means “It is said that the train is coming later.”
To be called something / be regarded as
Das heißt ein guter Anfang can mean “That is called a good start.” In context, it may also introduce a clarification: “That means a good start.”

Grammar & Word origin

heißen is an irregular strong verb. Its principal forms are heißen , hieß , and hat geheißen . It takes haben as its auxiliary in the perfect tense.

The verb is not made up of smaller modern German word parts. It comes from Old High German heizzan, meaning “to call” or “to name.”

Synonyms & antonyms

The best synonym depends on the meaning:

nennen means “to name” or “to call someone/something.” It emphasizes giving a name, while heißen commonly states what someone or something is called.
bezeichnen means “to designate” or “to refer to.” It is more formal and often describes labeling or categorizing something.
bedeuten means “to mean” or “to signify.” It overlaps with heißen when asking about the meaning of a word or expression, but is more directly focused on meaning.