Which to use
“einbehalten” and “einschalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,760
- “einbehalten” frequency rank
- #9,705
- “einschalten” frequency rank
- 51465
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | einbehalten | einschalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | im Besitz einer Sache bleiben, anstatt sie ihrem Besitzer zurückzugeben | ein Gerät in Betrieb nehmen |
Where the eye mixes einbehalten and einschalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. einbehalten (VVCCVCVCCVC) and einschalten (VVCCCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between einbehalten and einschalten
A purely visual mix-up. einbehalten ([ˈaɪ̯nbəˌhaltn̩]) and einschalten ([ˈaɪ̯nˌʃaltn̩]) 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 51465, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
einbehalten is recorded at frequency rank #41,760, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nbəˌhaltn̩]. einschalten is at rank #9,705, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌʃaltn̩].
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 51465, this pair ranks #1,134,521 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of einbehalten vs einschalten
Shared letters: aehilnt. Private to "einbehalten": b. Private to "einschalten": cs.
"einbehalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC · "einschalten" · 11 letters · shape VVCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- einbehalten ← eibnehalten · einbbehalten · einbeahlten · einbehaletn · einbehallten · einbehaltenn · einbehaltne · einbehaltten
- einschalten ← eincshalten · einnschalten · einscahlten · einscchalten · einschaletn · einschallten · einschaltenn · einschaltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "einbehalten" for "einschalten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "einbehalten" vs "einschalten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "einbehalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "einschalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,134,521 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "einbehalten" and "einschalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einbehalten vs einzuhalten". 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 #1,134,521 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.