Which to use
“aufgefallen” and “aufgehalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,794
- “aufgefallen” frequency rank
- #11,167
- “aufgehalten” frequency rank
- 14961
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufgefallen | aufgehalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs auffallen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs aufhalten |
Where the eye mixes aufgefallen and aufgehalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. aufgefallen and aufgehalten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VVCCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: aufgefallen vs aufgehalten
A purely visual mix-up. aufgefallen ([ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌfalən]) and aufgehalten ([ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌhaltn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14961, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufgefallen is recorded at frequency rank #3,794, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌfalən]. aufgehalten is at rank #11,167, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌhaltn̩].
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 14961, this pair ranks #1,947,459 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufgefallen vs aufgehalten
Shared letters: aefglnu. Private to "aufgefallen": -. Private to "aufgehalten": ht.
"aufgefallen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC · "aufgehalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufgefallen ← afugefallen · aufegfallen · auffgefallen · aufgeafllen · aufgefaleln · aufgefalen · aufgefallenn · aufgefallne
- aufgehalten ← afugehalten · aufeghalten · auffgehalten · aufgeahlten · aufgehaletn · aufgehallten · aufgehaltenn · aufgehaltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufgefallen" and "aufgehalten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aufgefallen" or "aufgehalten"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufgefallen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufgehalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,947,459 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufgefallen" and "aufgehalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufgefallen vs aufzufallen". 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 #1,947,459 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.