Which to use
“aufzuhalten” and “aufzuholen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,663
- “aufzuhalten” frequency rank
- #43,727
- “aufzuholen” frequency rank
- 56390
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aufzuhalten | aufzuholen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufhalten | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs aufholen |
Where the eye mixes aufzuhalten and aufzuholen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. aufzuhalten runs 11 letters (VVCCVCVCCVC) against aufzuholen's 10 (VVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between aufzuhalten and aufzuholen
A purely visual mix-up. aufzuhalten ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhaltn̩]) and aufzuholen ([ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhoːlən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56390, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aufzuhalten is recorded at frequency rank #12,663, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhaltn̩]. aufzuholen is at rank #43,727, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯ft͡suˌhoːlən].
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 56390, this pair ranks #942,066 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aufzuhalten vs aufzuholen
Shared letters: aefhlnuz. Private to "aufzuhalten": t. Private to "aufzuholen": o.
"aufzuhalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC · "aufzuholen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- aufzuhalten ← afuzuhalten · auffzuhalten · aufuzhalten · aufzhualten · aufzuahlten · aufzuhaletn · aufzuhallten · aufzuhaltenn
- aufzuholen ← afuzuholen · auffzuholen · aufuzholen · aufzhuolen · aufzuhholen · aufzuhloen · aufzuhoeln · aufzuholenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aufzuhalten" and "aufzuholen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "aufzuhalten" or "aufzuholen" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aufzuholen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #942,066 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aufzuhalten" and "aufzuholen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aufzählen vs aufzuholen". 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 #942,066 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.