Which to use
“anhalten” is a verb and “Anstalten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,139
- “anhalten” frequency rank
- #20,160
- “Anstalten” frequency rank
- 29299
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anhalten | Anstalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden zu etwas ermahnen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Anstalt |
Where the eye mixes anhalten and Anstalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. anhalten runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against Anstalten's 9 (VCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between anhalten and Anstalten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: anhalten is [ˈanˌhaltn̩] while Anstalten is [ˈanˌʃtaltn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29299, 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]. Anstalten is at rank #20,160, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtaltn̩].
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 29299, this pair ranks #1,769,407 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anhalten vs Anstalten
Shared letters: aelnt. Private to "anhalten": h. Private to "Anstalten": s.
"anhalten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "Anstalten" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "anhalten" for "Anstalten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "anhalten" vs "Anstalten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "anhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Anstalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,769,407 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anhalten" and "Anstalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abstatten vs Anstalten". 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 #1,769,407 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.