Which to use
“behalten” and “behaupten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,017
- “behalten” frequency rank
- #2,805
- “behaupten” frequency rank
- 4822
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | behalten | behaupten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | im Besitz einer Sache bleiben | etwas sagen, was nicht stimmen muss oder gar unglaubwürdig ist |
Where the eye mixes behalten and behaupten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. behalten runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against behaupten's 9 (CVCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between behalten and behaupten
A purely visual mix-up. behalten ([bəˈhaltn̩]) and behaupten ([bəˈhaʊ̯ptn̩]) 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 4822, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
behalten is recorded at frequency rank #2,017, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈhaltn̩]. behaupten is at rank #2,805, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈhaʊ̯ptn̩].
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 4822, this pair ranks #1,996,572 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of behalten vs behaupten
Shared letters: abehnt. Private to "behalten": l. Private to "behaupten": pu.
"behalten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "behaupten" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "behalten" for "behaupten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "behalten" vs "behaupten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "behalten" and "behaupten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "behalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "behaupten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,572 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "behalten" and "behaupten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bebauten vs behaupten". 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 #1,996,572 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.