Which to use
“abzuhalten” and “abzuholen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,484
- “abzuhalten” frequency rank
- #16,346
- “abzuholen” frequency rank
- 30830
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abzuhalten | abzuholen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abhalten | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs abholen |
Where the eye mixes abzuhalten and abzuholen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. abzuhalten runs 10 letters (VCCVCVCCVC) against abzuholen's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses abzuhalten with abzuholen
A purely visual mix-up. abzuhalten ([ˈapt͡suˌhaltn̩]) and abzuholen ([ˈapt͡suˌhoːlən]) 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 30830, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abzuhalten is recorded at frequency rank #14,484, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌhaltn̩]. abzuholen is at rank #16,346, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈapt͡suˌhoːlən].
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 30830, this pair ranks #1,740,228 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abzuhalten vs abzuholen
Shared letters: abehlnuz. Private to "abzuhalten": t. Private to "abzuholen": o.
"abzuhalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC · "abzuholen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abzuhalten ← abbzuhalten · abuzhalten · abzhualten · abzuahlten · abzuhaletn · abzuhallten · abzuhaltenn · abzuhaltne
- abzuholen ← abbzuholen · abuzholen · abzhuolen · abzuhholen · abzuhloen · abzuhoeln · abzuholenn · abzuhollen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abzuhalten" and "abzuholen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "abzuhalten" vs "abzuholen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "abzuhalten" and "abzuholen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abzuholen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,740,228 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abzuhalten" and "abzuholen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abzuholen vs abzulösen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,740,228 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.