hoe / heel
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hoe
A gardening tool with a metal blade attached at a right angle to a long handle, used for loosening soil and removing weeds.
Mit der Hacke lockerte er die Erde im Gemüsebeet auf.
He loosened the soil in the vegetable bed with the hoe.
heel
Colloquial or regional term for the heel, the back part of the human foot.
Ich habe mir einen Stein in die Hacke getreten.
I got a stone stuck in my heel.
The two meanings are easy to distinguish by context. If people are talking about gardening, tools, or the ground, the gardening tool is meant. If it is about the body, the foot, or pain, the body part is meant.
Ich brauche eine neue Hacke für das Unkraut im Garten.
I need a new hoe for the weeds in the garden.
The noun 'die Hacke' (hoe/tool) is directly connected with the verb 'hacken' (to hoe/chop). 'Hacken' means to strike the ground with a hoe or a similar tool.
Im Frühling müssen wir den ganzen Garten umgraben und hacken.
In spring we have to dig up and hoe the whole garden.
Using 'Hacke' for the back part of the foot is colloquial. In standard language, and especially in medical contexts, this body part is called 'die Ferse' (heel).
Autsch, ich habe mir die Hacke am Stuhl gestoßen!
Ouch, I bumped my heel on the chair!
heel
Ferse and Hacke can refer to the same rear part of the foot. Ferse is the neutral standard term, while Hacke sounds colloquial or regional. Ferse fits situations involving a doctor or neutral texts; Hacke can be used in a casual conversation.
Zu Hause sagte Mia, dass ihr seit gestern die Hacke wehtut.
At home, Mia said that her heel had been hurting since yesterday.
Beim Arzt erklärte Mia, dass ihre Ferse seit gestern schmerzt.
At the doctor’s, Mia explained that her heel had been hurting since yesterday.
