Which to use
“anhalten” and “anschalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,139
- “anhalten” frequency rank
- #42,336
- “anschalten” frequency rank
- 51475
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anhalten | anschalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden zu etwas ermahnen | durch einen Schalter aktivieren; mit einem Schalter anmachen |
Where the eye mixes anhalten and anschalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anhalten runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against anschalten's 10 (VCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between anhalten and anschalten
A purely visual mix-up. anhalten ([ˈanˌhaltn̩]) and anschalten ([ˈanˌʃaltn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51475, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anhalten is recorded at frequency rank #9,139, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌhaltn̩]. anschalten is at rank #42,336, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃaltn̩].
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 51475, this pair ranks #1,134,148 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of anhalten vs anschalten
Shared letters: aehlnt. Private to "anhalten": -. Private to "anschalten": cs.
"anhalten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "anschalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anhalten ← ahnalten · anahlten · anhaletn · anhallten · anhaltenn · anhaltne · anhaltten · anhatlen
- anschalten ← ancshalten · annschalten · anscahlten · anscchalten · anschaletn · anschallten · anschaltenn · anschaltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "anhalten" and "anschalten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "anhalten" or "anschalten"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "anhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anschalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,134,148 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anhalten" and "anschalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anschalten vs anzuhalten". 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 #1,134,148 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.