Which to use
“erhältst” and “erkältet” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,029
- “erhältst” frequency rank
- #28,637
- “erkältet” frequency rank
- 59666
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erhältst | erkältet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhalten | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erkälten |
Where the eye mixes erhältst and erkältet
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between erhältst and erkältet
A purely visual mix-up. erhältst ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt͡st]) 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 59666, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erhältst is recorded at frequency rank #31,029, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlt͡st]. 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 59666, this pair ranks #815,950 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erhältst vs erkältet
Shared letters: elrtä. Private to "erhältst": hs. Private to "erkältet": k.
"erhältst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC · "erkältet" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erhältst" and "erkältet" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "erhältst" or "erkältet"?
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 "erhältst" 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 #815,950 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erhältst" and "erkältet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhältst vs erhärtet". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #815,950 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.