enthältvserhältConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,474
“enthält” frequency rank
#1,548
“erhält” frequency rank
3022
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature enthält erhält
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs enthalten 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhalten

Where the eye mixes enthält and erhält

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. enthält runs 7 letters (VCCCVCC) against erhält's 6 (VCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
enthält
6 ch
erhält

Visual trap between enthält and erhält

A purely visual mix-up. enthält ([ɛntˈhɛlt]) and erhält ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]) 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 3022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

enthält is recorded at frequency rank #1,474, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈhɛlt]. erhält is at rank #1,548, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt].

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 3022, this pair ranks #2,001,117 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of enthält vs erhält

Shared letters: ehltä. Private to "enthält": n. Private to "erhält": r.

"enthält" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC  ·  "erhält" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "enthält" and "erhält" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈhɛlt] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "enthält" or "erhält"?
"enthält" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,474 in our German list, against #1,548 for "erhält". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "enthält" and "erhält" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "enthält" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erhält" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,001,117 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "enthält" and "erhält" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhält vs erhaltet". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #2,001,117 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list