Which to use
“aufgehalten” and “ausgehalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,167
- “aufgehalten” frequency rank
- #25,449
- “ausgehalten” frequency rank
- 36616
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufgehalten | ausgehalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs aufhalten | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs aushalten |
Where the eye mixes aufgehalten and ausgehalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. aufgehalten and ausgehalten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VVCCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between aufgehalten and ausgehalten
A purely visual mix-up. aufgehalten ([ˈaʊ̯fɡəˌhaltn̩]) and ausgehalten ([ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌhaltn̩]) 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 a single letter - f in “aufgehalten” becomes s in “ausgehalten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36616, 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]. ausgehalten is at rank #25,449, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯sɡəˌhaltn̩].
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 36616, this pair ranks #1,611,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufgehalten vs ausgehalten
Shared letters: aeghlntu. Private to "aufgehalten": f. Private to "ausgehalten": s.
"aufgehalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC · "ausgehalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufgehalten ← afugehalten · aufeghalten · auffgehalten · aufgeahlten · aufgehaletn · aufgehallten · aufgehaltenn · aufgehaltne
- ausgehalten ← asugehalten · augsehalten · auseghalten · ausgeahlten · ausgehaletn · ausgehallten · ausgehaltenn · ausgehaltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufgehalten" and "ausgehalten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aufgehalten" or "ausgehalten"?
What to do next
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 "ausgehalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,611,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufgehalten" and "ausgehalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ausgebauten vs ausgehalten". 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 #1,611,019 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.