erhältvserholtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,548
“erhält” frequency rank
#10,467
“erholt” frequency rank
12015
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erhält erholt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhalten Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erholen

Where the eye mixes erhält and erholt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erhält and erholt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

6 ch
erhält
6 ch
erholt

Look-alike desk: erhält vs erholt

A purely visual mix-up. erhält ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt]) and erholt ([ɛɐ̯ˈhoːlt]) 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 a single letter - ä in “erhält” becomes o in “erholt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12015, 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]. erholt is at rank #10,467, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhoːlt].

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 12015, this pair ranks #1,966,662 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erhält vs erholt

Shared letters: ehlrt. Private to "erhält": ä. Private to "erholt": o.

"erhält" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "erholt" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erholt ← ehrolt · erhholt · erhlot · erhollt · erholtt · erhotl · erohlt · errholt

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "erhält" and "erholt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈhoːlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "erhält" vs "erholt" - which ranks higher?
"erhält" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,548 in our German list, against #10,467 for "erholt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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 "erholt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,966,662 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erhält" and "erholt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erbost vs erholt". 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 #1,966,662 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