durchgefallenvsdurchgehaltenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“durchgefallen” and “durchgehalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#29,546
“durchgefallen” frequency rank
#31,514
“durchgehalten” frequency rank
61060
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature durchgefallen durchgehalten
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs durchfallen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs durchhalten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set durchgefallen and durchgehalten apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

13 ch
durchgefallen
13 ch
durchgehalten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. durchgefallen ([ˈdʊʁçɡəˌfalən]) and durchgehalten ([ˈdʊʁçɡəˌhaltn̩]) 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 61060, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

durchgefallen is recorded at frequency rank #29,546, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁçɡəˌfalən]. durchgehalten is at rank #31,514, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈdʊʁçɡəˌhaltn̩].

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 61060, this pair ranks #763,775 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of durchgefallen vs durchgehalten

Shared letters: acdeghlnru. Private to "durchgefallen": f. Private to "durchgehalten": t.

"durchgefallen" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCVCVCCVC  ·  "durchgehalten" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • durchgefallenddurchgefallen · druchgefallen · ducrhgefallen · durcchgefallen · durcghefallen · durchegfallen · durchgeafllen · durchgefaleln
  • durchgehaltenddurchgehalten · druchgehalten · ducrhgehalten · durcchgehalten · durcghehalten · durcheghalten · durchgeahlten · durchgehaletn

Frequency comparison

durchgefallen#29,546
durchgehalten#31,514

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "durchgefallen" and "durchgehalten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈdʊʁçɡəˌfalən] versus [ˈdʊʁçɡəˌhaltn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "durchgefallen" or "durchgehalten"?
"durchgefallen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,546 in our German list, against #31,514 for "durchgehalten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering durchgefallen vs durchgehalten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “durchgefallen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list