Which to use
“erhält” and “erhielt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,548
- “erhält” frequency rank
- #1,766
- “erhielt” frequency rank
- 3314
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erhält | erhielt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhalten | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erhalten |
Where the eye mixes erhält and erhielt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erhält runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against erhielt's 7 (VCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erhält vs erhielt
A purely visual mix-up. erhält ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]) and erhielt ([ɛɐ̯ˈhiːlt]) 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 3314, 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]. erhielt is at rank #1,766, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhiːlt].
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 3314, this pair ranks #2,000,477 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erhält vs erhielt
Shared letters: ehlrt. Private to "erhält": ä. Private to "erhielt": i.
"erhält" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "erhielt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erhielt ← ehrielt · erheilt · erhhielt · erhiellt · erhieltt · erhietl · erhilet · erihelt
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erhält" for "erhielt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "erhält" or "erhielt" show up more?
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 "erhält" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erhielt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,000,477 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erhält" and "erhielt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhielt vs erliegt". 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 #2,000,477 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.