erhältvserhältstWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,548
“erhält” frequency rank
#31,029
“erhältst” frequency rank
32577
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erhält erhältst
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhalten 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhalten

Where the eye mixes erhält and erhältst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erhält runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against erhältst's 8 (VCCVCCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
erhält
8 ch
erhältst

Why the eye confuses erhält with erhältst

A purely visual mix-up. erhält ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]) and erhältst ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt͡st]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “erhält” sits inside “erhältst”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32577, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erhält is recorded at frequency rank #1,548, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]. erhältst is at rank #31,029, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt͡st].

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 32577, this pair ranks #1,704,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erhält vs erhältst

Shared letters: ehlrtä. Private to "erhält": -. Private to "erhältst": s.

"erhält" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "erhältst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erhält" and "erhältst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erhält" or "erhältst"?
"erhält" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,548 in our German list, against #31,029 for "erhältst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "erhält" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erhältst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,704,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erhält" and "erhältst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhältst vs erhärtet". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,704,686 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