Which to use
“aufgehalten” and “aufzuhalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,167
- “aufgehalten” frequency rank
- #12,663
- “aufzuhalten” frequency rank
- 23830
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufgehalten | aufzuhalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs aufhalten | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufhalten |
Where the eye mixes aufgehalten and aufzuhalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. aufgehalten and aufzuhalten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VVCCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses aufgehalten with aufzuhalten
A purely visual mix-up. aufgehalten ([ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌhaltn̩]) and aufzuhalten ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhaltn̩]) 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 23830, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufgehalten is recorded at frequency rank #11,167, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌhaltn̩]. aufzuhalten is at rank #12,663, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhaltn̩].
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 23830, this pair ranks #1,856,073 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufgehalten vs aufzuhalten
Shared letters: aefhlntu. Private to "aufgehalten": g. Private to "aufzuhalten": z.
"aufgehalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC · "aufzuhalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufgehalten ← afugehalten · aufeghalten · auffgehalten · aufgeahlten · aufgehaletn · aufgehallten · aufgehaltenn · aufgehaltne
- aufzuhalten ← afuzuhalten · auffzuhalten · aufuzhalten · aufzhualten · aufzuahlten · aufzuhaletn · aufzuhallten · aufzuhaltenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufgehalten" and "aufzuhalten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "aufgehalten" or "aufzuhalten" show up more?
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 "aufgehalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuhalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,856,073 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufgehalten" and "aufzuhalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzufallen vs aufzuhalten". 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 #1,856,073 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.