Which to use
“erhalte” and “erhärtet” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,268
- “erhalte” frequency rank
- #48,855
- “erhärtet” frequency rank
- 59123
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erhalte | erhärtet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhalten | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erhärten |
Where the eye mixes erhalte and erhärtet
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erhalte runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against erhärtet's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erhalte with erhärtet
A purely visual mix-up. erhalte ([ɛɐ̯ˈhaltə]) and erhärtet ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛʁtət]) 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 59123, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erhalte is recorded at frequency rank #10,268, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhaltə]. erhärtet is at rank #48,855, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛʁtət].
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 59123, this pair ranks #836,412 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erhalte vs erhärtet
Shared letters: ehrt. Private to "erhalte": al. Private to "erhärtet": ä.
"erhalte" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erhärtet" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erhalte ← ehralte · erahlte · erhalet · erhallte · erhaltte · erhatle · erhhalte · erhlate
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erhalte" for "erhärtet" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erhalte" vs "erhärtet" - which ranks higher?
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 "erhalte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erhärtet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #836,412 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erhalte" and "erhärtet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhaltet vs erhärtet". 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 #836,412 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.