enthaltenvsEnthaltungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: enthalten is a verb, Enthaltung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“enthalten” is a verb and “Enthaltung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,658
“enthalten” frequency rank
#37,491
“Enthaltung” frequency rank
39149
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature enthalten Enthaltung
Definition so beschaffen sein, dass das eine (mit dem stets nötigen Akkusativ-Objekt Bezeichnete) ein Teil des anderen (des mit dem Subjekt Bezeichneten) ist; einen Inhalt haben; bestehen aus „das meistens freiwillige Sichenthalten von Genüssen, Essen oder Trinken“

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set enthalten and Enthaltung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
enthalten
10 ch
Enthaltung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: enthalten is [ɛntˈhaltn̩] while Enthaltung is [ɛntˈhaltʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39149, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

enthalten is recorded at frequency rank #1,658, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈhaltn̩]. Enthaltung is at rank #37,491, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈhaltʊŋ].

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 39149, this pair ranks #1,544,767 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of enthalten vs Enthaltung

Shared letters: aehlnt. Private to "enthalten": -. Private to "Enthaltung": gu.

"enthalten" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "Enthaltung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • enthaltenenhtalten · ennthalten · entahlten · enthaletn · enthallten · enthaltenn · enthaltne · enthaltten
  • Enthaltungenhtaltung · ennthaltung · entahltung · enthalltung · enthaltnug · enthalttung · enthaltugn · enthaltungg

Frequency comparison

enthalten#1,658
Enthaltung#37,491

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "enthalten" and "Enthaltung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "enthalten" is a verb and "Enthaltung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "enthalten" or "Enthaltung"?
"enthalten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,658 in our German list, against #37,491 for "Enthaltung". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering enthalten vs Enthaltung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “enthalten”; for a noun, it's “Enthaltung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “enthalten” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list