Which to use
“enthielten” and “erhielten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,200
- “enthielten” frequency rank
- #3,955
- “erhielten” frequency rank
- 23155
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | enthielten | erhielten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs enthalten | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erhalten |
Where the eye mixes enthielten and erhielten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. enthielten runs 10 letters (VCCCVVCCVC) against erhielten's 9 (VCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between enthielten and erhielten
A purely visual mix-up. enthielten ([ɛntˈhiːltn̩]) and erhielten ([ɛɐ̯ˈhiːltn̩]) 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 23155, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
enthielten is recorded at frequency rank #19,200, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈhiːltn̩]. erhielten is at rank #3,955, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhiːltn̩].
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 23155, this pair ranks #1,865,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of enthielten vs erhielten
Shared letters: ehilnt. Private to "enthielten": -. Private to "erhielten": r.
"enthielten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVVCCVC · "erhielten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- enthielten ← enhtielten · ennthielten · entheilten · enthhielten · enthieletn · enthiellten · enthieltenn · enthieltne
- erhielten ← ehrielten · erheilten · erhhielten · erhieletn · erhiellten · erhieltenn · erhieltne · erhieltten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "enthielten" and "erhielten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "enthielten" vs "erhielten" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "enthielten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erhielten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,865,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "enthielten" and "erhielten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhellen vs erhielten". 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 #1,865,086 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.