Which to use
“erhaltet” and “erkältet” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,465
- “erhaltet” frequency rank
- #28,637
- “erkältet” frequency rank
- 71102
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erhaltet | erkältet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhalten | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erkälten |
Where the eye mixes erhaltet and erkältet
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erhaltet and erkältet follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses erhaltet with erkältet
A purely visual mix-up. erhaltet ([ɛɐ̯ˈhaltət]) and erkältet ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛltət]) 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 71102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erhaltet is recorded at frequency rank #42,465, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhaltət]. erkältet is at rank #28,637, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛltət].
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 71102, this pair ranks #426,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of erhaltet vs erkältet
Shared letters: elrt. Private to "erhaltet": ah. Private to "erkältet": kä.
"erhaltet" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erkältet" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erhaltet ← ehraltet · erahltet · erhalett · erhalltet · erhaltett · erhalttet · erhatlet · erhhaltet
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erhaltet" and "erkältet" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "erhaltet" or "erkältet" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erhaltet" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erkältet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #426,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erhaltet" and "erkältet" 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 #426,708 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.