Which to use
“erhalten” is a verb and “erhöhten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #418
- “erhalten” frequency rank
- #6,786
- “erhöhten” frequency rank
- 7204
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erhalten | erhöhten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas bekommen, empfangen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erhöht |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erhalten and erhöhten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erhalten is [ɛɐ̯ˈhaltn̩] while erhöhten is [ɛɐ̯ˈhøːtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7204, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erhalten is recorded at frequency rank #418, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhaltn̩]. erhöhten is at rank #6,786, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhøːtn̩].
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 7204, this pair ranks #1,989,022 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erhalten vs erhöhten
Shared letters: ehnrt. Private to "erhalten": al. Private to "erhöhten": ö.
"erhalten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erhöhten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erhalten ← ehralten · erahlten · erhaletn · erhallten · erhaltenn · erhaltne · erhaltten · erhatlen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erhalten" and "erhöhten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erhalten" or "erhöhten"?
Remembering erhalten vs erhöhten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erhalten”; for an adjective, it's “erhöhten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erhalten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable