Which to use
“anhalten” and “anzuhalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,139
- “anhalten” frequency rank
- #26,302
- “anzuhalten” frequency rank
- 35441
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anhalten | anzuhalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden zu etwas ermahnen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs anhalten |
Where the eye mixes anhalten and anzuhalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. anhalten runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against anzuhalten's 10 (VCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses anhalten with anzuhalten
A purely visual mix-up. anhalten ([ˈanˌhaltn̩]) and anzuhalten ([ˈant͡suˌhaltn̩]) 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 35441, 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]. anzuhalten is at rank #26,302, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈant͡suˌhaltn̩].
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 35441, this pair ranks #1,639,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of anhalten vs anzuhalten
Shared letters: aehlnt. Private to "anhalten": -. Private to "anzuhalten": uz.
"anhalten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "anzuhalten" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- anhalten ← ahnalten · anahlten · anhaletn · anhallten · anhaltenn · anhaltne · anhaltten · anhatlen
- anzuhalten ← annzuhalten · anuzhalten · anzhualten · anzuahlten · anzuhaletn · anzuhallten · anzuhaltenn · anzuhaltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "anhalten" and "anzuhalten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "anhalten" or "anzuhalten"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "anhalten" and "anzuhalten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "anhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "anzuhalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,639,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "anhalten" and "anzuhalten" 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 #1,639,933 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.