abhältvsaushältTell them apart

Which to use

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

#28,978
“abhält” frequency rank
#32,426
“aushält” frequency rank
61404
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abhält aushält
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs abhalten 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs aushalten

Where the eye mixes abhält and aushält

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. abhält runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against aushält's 7 (VVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
abhält
7 ch
aushält

Why the eye confuses abhält with aushält

A purely visual mix-up. abhält ([ˈapˌhɛlt]) and aushält ([ˈaʊ̯shɛlt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61404, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abhält is recorded at frequency rank #28,978, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌhɛlt]. aushält is at rank #32,426, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯shɛlt].

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 61404, this pair ranks #751,070 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abhält vs aushält

Shared letters: ahltä. Private to "abhält": b. Private to "aushält": su.

"abhält" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "aushält" · 7 letters · shape VVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "abhält" for "aushält" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈapˌhɛlt] versus [ˈaʊ̯shɛlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "abhält" vs "aushält" - which ranks higher?
"abhält" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,978 in our German list, against #32,426 for "aushält". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "abhält" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aushält" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #751,070 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "abhält" and "aushält" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aushält vs auszahlt". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #751,070 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list