Which to use
“aufhalten” and “aufzuhalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,679
- “aufhalten” frequency rank
- #12,663
- “aufzuhalten” frequency rank
- 18342
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufhalten | aufzuhalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden/etwas nicht weitergehen/weiterfortschreiten lassen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufhalten |
Where the eye mixes aufhalten and aufzuhalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. aufhalten runs 9 letters (VVCCVCCVC) against aufzuhalten's 11 (VVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: aufhalten vs aufzuhalten
A purely visual mix-up. aufhalten ([ˈaʊ̯fˌhaltn̩]) 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 differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18342, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufhalten is recorded at frequency rank #5,679, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯fˌhaltn̩]. 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 18342, this pair ranks #1,919,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aufhalten vs aufzuhalten
Shared letters: aefhlntu. Private to "aufhalten": -. Private to "aufzuhalten": z.
"aufhalten" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "aufzuhalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufhalten ← afuhalten · aufahlten · auffhalten · aufhaletn · aufhallten · aufhaltenn · aufhaltne · aufhaltten
- aufzuhalten ← afuzuhalten · auffzuhalten · aufuzhalten · aufzhualten · aufzuahlten · aufzuhaletn · aufzuhallten · aufzuhaltenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufhalten" and "aufzuhalten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "aufhalten" vs "aufzuhalten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "aufhalten" and "aufzuhalten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufhalten" 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 #1,919,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufhalten" 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 #1,919,157 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.