Which to use
“erhalten” and “erhellen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #418
- “erhalten” frequency rank
- #43,152
- “erhellen” frequency rank
- 43570
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erhalten | erhellen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas bekommen, empfangen | für mehr Licht (Helligkeit) sorgen, etwas heller werden lassen |
Where the eye mixes erhalten and erhellen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses erhalten with erhellen
A purely visual mix-up. erhalten ([ɛɐ̯ˈhaltn̩]) and erhellen ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43570, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erhalten is recorded at frequency rank #418, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhaltn̩]. erhellen is at rank #43,152, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlən].
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 43570, this pair ranks #1,413,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erhalten vs erhellen
Shared letters: ehlnr. Private to "erhalten": at. Private to "erhellen": -.
"erhalten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erhellen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erhalten" for "erhellen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erhalten" or "erhellen"?
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 "erhalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erhellen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,413,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erhalten" and "erhellen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Eizellen vs erhellen". 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 #1,413,927 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.